All That's Evil
by Semdai Bloodquill
Summary: After a tormenting case of writiners block and other things demanding my 15second attention span this has been Updated Again! Basil's on the mend, Aeris is confused, and Rufus has a run-in with Shivra's chocobo, holy help us all... R&R please!
1. Red Ice

All That's Evil By Semdai  
  
Disclaimer: Ok, I do not own any of the people or places from Final Fantasy VII, but the people and places in this story that aren't in the game are my own creations so please don't steal them. And with that, the story begins...  
  
Prologue  
  
Not long after the incident at Nibelhiem in which Sephiroth was defeated by the soldier, Cloud, and four years before the birth of the rebel group who called themselves Avalanche...  
  
A young man sat shuffling papers at his desk, constantly brushing his blonde-orange hair out of his dark, mako colored eyes. He leaned back in his chair and ran a gloved hand through his hair when there was a knock at his door.  
  
" What," he snapped.  
  
" Sir? " A soldier stuck his head into the room. " There's someone here to see you."  
  
" Who is it," he asked putting his feet up on the desk, " If it's my old man then tell him to beat it."  
  
"It's a woman, Sir," the soldier replied.  
  
The young man's eyes lit up. " Show her in." The soldier saluted the young man before disappearing out the door. A few seconds later the door opened fully.  
  
" Hello, Rufus," said the woman standing in the door. She had raven's hair, flecked with red streaks, that trailed across her pale face. She was dressed in tight, black, leather pants that were stitched up the sides and a midnight-colored, sleeveless sweater.  
  
" Shivra," Rufus exclaimed, nearly falling out of his chair. He scrambled up from his desk and hurried to meet his girlfriend. Tears threatened Shivra's eye as she embraced him.  
  
" I missed you, my love," she cried. Rufus held her closely. She felt soft and warm. His nose filled with her spicy scent as her strong body held him close and tight. It had been a long time since Rufus had last seen his disappearing lover, too long. He thought of the small black case in the bottom drawer of his desk. Something he'd been dying to ask since the night on the hill a month ago. Rufus finally let go of her, mentally cursing himself for being so nervous.  
  
" There's something I need to ask you, Shivra," he struggled, not used to the over-beating of his heart as he retrieved the black box from it's hiding place. He handed the case to her after a moments hesitation. " I think the rest is self-explanatory," he fumbled. Shivra regarded him with a look of curiosity in her piercing green eyes. She gasped at the sight of the case's contents.  
  
Inside was a gold ring shaped like a dragon with its wings folded down and the tail forming the band. A row of tiny diamonds ran along the dragon's back. One eye was made from a sapphire while the other was an emerald. A ruby tongue even protruded from the dragon's mouth, which was outfitted with pearls for teeth.  
  
" Rufus... I..." Shivra was astounded, " I don't know what to say."  
  
" Maybe your mouth doesn't," Rufus whispered, stroking her silky hair, " but what about your heart?"  
  
" My heart says 'I am yours forever,'" Shivra sighed.  
  
" That brings my heart joy, but I can't help but wonder why you came here in the first place," Rufus asked, " we both know my old man must not find you here."  
  
" What I came here to tell you I couldn't risk writing," she murmured softly. Then she turned her blue-green eyes to his, "It's that important."  
  
" What is that?" Unfortunately for both of them, Shivra was unable to tell Rufus what she needed to, for at that moment there was a pounding at the door.  
  
" Rufus, open this door at once, I need a word with you," came a booming voice from the other side of the door.  
  
" Shit," Rufus cursed, "quick, Shivra, hide." Shiva was rushed to the closet where she ducked inside and crouched down, hoping to hide in the darkness. She took the ring from its case and slipped it over her right ring finger. Only her husband to be could place it on her left hand.  
  
Rufus went for the door. His father was there with several ShinRa guards behind him.  
  
" What do you want, old man," Rufus growled. Normally, Rufus saw little of his father and even less time speaking with him, when he did it made his blood boil. The two had almost nothing in common, and what they did have alike was only in looks and name. Both had the same Mako eyes and blonde- orange hair, but that was all.  
  
" I was informed of some rather unpleasant news just now," President ShinRa said coolly. Rufus felt his heart skip a beat, but didn't show it. " Search the room," his father commanded to the guards he had brought.  
  
" What do you think you're doing," Rufus exclaimed.  
  
" What's the matter, Rufus, do you have something to hide?" The old man was taunting him now, he knew all along that Rufus had a lover. It wasn't long before the soldiers found Shivra.  
  
" Let go of me, you bastards," she protested, pivoting and kicking one in the face, " let me go!"  
  
" What do you want with her, you son of a bitch," Rufus demanded, clenching his jaw. His father looked Shivra up and down skeptically.  
  
" Maybe you are my boy after all, Rufus," he sneered, " you've got an eye for the hot bitches. What's this?" He seized Shivra's right arm and twisted it so he could see the ring on her finger.  
  
" Keep your filthy hands off that," Shivra warned. Smirking, the president slipped the ring off her finger and examined it.  
  
" Beautiful," he remarked, " where did you get it?"  
  
" Up yours."  
  
" You need to learn some respect for your elders," President ShinRa warned.  
  
" I'll speak to you any way I damn well please, you jackass!"  
  
" I will not be spoken to in that manner!" He struck her then across the face. Shivra began to giggle. A giggle that quickly escalated to a hysterical laugh.  
  
" Sephiroth will come back you know," she laughed, " he doesn't like what you did to him so he's gonna make you pay. Can you imagine that sword of his running you through? I will relish the day when all your tampering comes back to get you." The rest of her words were lost in her wild laughter.  
  
At that remark, President ShinRa's face turned slightly pale.  
  
" Take her away! I'll deal with her later," he growled. Shivra continued to struggle even after the soldiers had beat her in an attempt to suppress her.  
  
" What will you do to her," Rufus demanded savagely.  
  
" I haven't decided," the president said bluntly.  
  
" If you hurt her I'll see to it that you pay dearly for it," Rufus threatened, rage growing in his Mako poisoned eyes, "mark my words."  
  
" Now, now," his father said calmly, " there's no need for that. She won't be harmed so long as she is valuable to us." A horrid thought came to Rufus's mind. His eyes widened fearfully.  
  
" You wouldn't..." he stammered, " you wouldn't dare..."  
  
" Oh would I," his father said slowly, too slowly, " we'll just have to see how much she is really worth." Then he left the room. Rufus fell to the floor in defeat. He pounded his fists against anything he could reach, swearing and cursing in rage until he was out of breath. Then he cried for the first time in his life since his mother had died when he was a small child.  
* * * Shivra lay curled up on a cot in one of the holding cells. One arm stayed protectively around her belly. She hurt, but refused to show it, at least for her baby's sake if not her own. Suddenly, she heard talking outside the cell. She stayed still and listened. It was Rufus arguing with one of the guards. Several moments passed, and the door opened. Rufus entered the room. Shivra sat up slowly. Rufus felt his heart split in two at the sight of her. He held her close to him, she felt so cold. Shivra tried desperately not to cry, but found she couldn't help it.  
  
" Are you okay, Shivra," Rufus asked.  
  
" Not really," she sniffled, " my stomach feels really sore."  
  
" I'm gonna try to get you out of here," he reassured.  
  
" Rufus," Shivra whispered softly, " I'm pregnant." Rufus stared at her in disbelief. " It's a boy," she continued. They sat down on the cot together.  
* * * " These are the results you asked for, Sir," a soldier presented, holding out an envelope.  
  
" You may leave now," President ShinRa dismissed, talking the envelope. The soldier left with a salute. President ShinRa opened the envelope and examined the papers inside it. " Hojo will be pleased," he chuckled to himself.  
* * * Rufus kicked the door to Hojo's lab open. He stormed into the room looking angry enough to kill a dragon with his bare hands. Several minor scientists looked up from their work to see Rufus grab Hojo's lab coat and slam him against a wall.  
  
" What did my old man tell you to do with Shivra," he demanded. Hojo stared hard at Rufus through his dark glasses.  
  
" I could show you, but I can't do that if I'm pinned against a wall," the scientist replied casually, making a gesture like a shrug. Rufus glared at Hojo, but let him go. Hojo straightened his coat and led Rufus to a room with a large glass holding cell. Rufus immediately recognized the figure sprawled on the floor of the cell. It was Shivra.  
  
" What have you done to her," Rufus snarled.  
  
" She is pregnant, as you should know, so we tested to see who the father is," Hojo explained, "we proved that you are the child's father. The president has decided that we will use the baby to create another, more powerful, Sephiroth." Rufus was too shocked to say anything. " Of course we'll have to make some slight adjustments, considering the condition of the original Sephiroth..."  
  
Hojo continued, but Rufus heard none of it. He had his hands pressed against the glass cell. His thoughts twisted between horror and fury. They were going to use his son to make another Sephiroth, a more powerful one. And, just like Lucrecia, Shivra would probably end up dying. Unless... Rufus knew what had to be done, but he didn't want it to happen. It meant severing his last hope for happiness. Shivra had to either escape or die before their son was born.  
* * * Shivra was woken again that night by Rufus arguing with the guard. The fight didn't last long. Rufus took Shivra in his arms the second he entered the room. Though he gasped when he saw the mako glow in her sea green eyes, he was glad she was safe for the moment. Shivra relayed to him everything that Hojo had said about the tests he had conducted on her.  
  
" So he only injected you with half the amount of Jenova cells he gave Lucrecia," Rufus concluded after Shivra had finished. She nodded.  
  
" Even that small amount did something to our baby," She added grimly.  
  
" What did it do," Rufus asked fearfully.  
  
" He's growing more quickly," she explained, " I feel him growing. He's not due for another seven or eight months, but I think the presence of these cells cut that time in half."  
  
" You have to get out of here," Rufus stated, " if anything further happens to you or our son, I wont be able to live with myself."  
  
" Listen to me, Rufus," Shivra started. Rufus stared into the ocean of color that was her eyes. " In order to escape, I will need these three things; my materia pouch, a chocobo, and your promise that you won't follow me." Rufus felt his heart splinter into a thousand bleeding shards.  
  
" I can get you your materia and a chocobo without any resistance," he choked, " it's the third request that shatters my soul and wraps a sheet of steel around the fragments."  
  
" It breaks both my heart, soul, and body to do this, but it's the only way to save our son," she cringed as if in great pain, " and any remaining hope we have of happiness."  
  
" I can't be happy if something happens to you," Rufus sighed, " yet, I have no choice but to do as you ask." Shivra locked her arms around Rufus's body, crushing his ribs against her.  
  
" You'll never truly lose me," she crooned softly. He held her tightly against him, savoring the last time he would hold her like this.  
  
" There aren't enough ways for me to say that I love you," he sighed.  
  
" You only need one," Shivra assured as she kissed him.  
* * * Zack dragged Cloud alongside him as they made their way to Midgar. Cloud would groan every now and again, but, other than that, neither spoke. Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past Zack's head. He let go of Cloud, who slumped to the ground beside him, and drew his sword just another bullet caught him in the chest. He was thrown backwards by the force of the shot. He hit the ground hard on his back and lay still...  
* * * Shivra reached inside the soft leather of her boot and pulled out a short, but sharp dagger. She twiddled it idly for a few seconds before she stood and made her way to the door. Using the skills she had obtained from her life on the streets of the sector two slums, Shivra began to pick the lock on the door of her jail cell. The electric lock resisted her tampering.  
  
" Shit," she cursed. Frustrated, she undid the screws holding the board to the wall, revealing the inside of the lock. Shivra cut a few of the wires. A click told her that the door had unlocked itself. " There we go," she concluded.  
  
She opened the door and waited beside it, out of sight, for the guard to notice the door was open. This plan took a bit longer than she had anticipated, due to the fact that the guard was incredibly stupid. It took a whole five minutes for him to realize that her cell door was open. When he finally realized this, he stuck his head inside as if to see what was going on. Shivra's patience was rewarded as she slammed her fist into the guard's face, savoring the crunch of her knuckles as they shattered the poor man's nose. She smirked as the guard fell against the wall clutching his broken, bleeding nose.  
  
" Please don't kill me," he sobbed. Shivra glowered at him. She had next to no respect for these pitiful people who would kill at a single command. She hadn't planned on letting him live, and Shivra hated not doing what she planned.  
  
" Why should I," she sneered, " what have you done to deserve my mercy?" The guard stared up at her with pleading eyes. She studied him, she liked to study the faces of her victims. To see the growing fear in their eyes as they cursed her or begged for her mercy. She laughed at both, she couldn't help it, she found it amusing. She knelt down before the guard and seized his throat with her left hand.  
  
" I promise not to trip the alarms," the he pledged. Shivra snorted.  
  
" A promise that you can't break if you're dead," she reminded, pressing her knife against the man's throat.  
  
" I don't doubt that you could kill him if you wanted to," Rufus stated from the hallway. A look of relief spread over the guard's face at the sight of Rufus.  
  
" Please help me, Sir," he pleaded. Rufus looked down at the guard.  
  
" You handle yourself very well, Shivra," he observed, turning to face his lover, " Our boy will be in good hands." The guard was dumbstruck.  
  
" Sir," he started, but stopped the instant Shivra turned her gaze back on him. Her eyes narrowed. In one swift movement the flesh of the guard's neck parted and crimson liquid spilled down the front of his uniform. He was dead within seconds.  
  
" Nicely done," Rufus complimented. Shivra tore a sleeve from the guards uniform and soaked it in the pool of blood that was forming on the ground. Using it as a paintbrush, Shivra wrote her message on the wall:  
  
Jenova's mark comes back to scar all who touch it.  
  
" I believe these belong to you," Rufus offered, holding out a old leather pouch. Shivra took it and opened it, pulling out her materia.  
  
" Thank you, Rufus," she replied. Rufus smiled.  
  
" This is also yours," he added, stretching out his left hand, " and there's a chocobo waiting outside the city for you." In his palm rested the dragon ring. Rufus took Shivra's left hand and placed the ring on her finger. " I may never see you again," he acknowledged, " so you make sure you take good care of yourself and our boy." Shivra gave him a warm, yet sad, smile as she turned and fled down the hallways.  
  
" I will always love you, Rufus," she whispered as she fled down the corridors.  
* * *  
  
Shivra made for the stairs as her escape route. Using the railings she slid down the sixty five floors to the base level. Once at the bottom, she melted into the shadows of the alleyways leading to the entrance to the slums. She slipped into the sewer system, striking down any monster foolish enough to attack her. The sewers welcomed her. Shivra came to a huge, gaping hole in the wall, the insignia of two dragons intertwined with each other carved deeply in the wall above it. This was the gateway to what had been her home. She climbed down it finally ending up in the sector two slums. People stared at her as she passed through the gates that would take her out of Midgar, but she paid them no heed.  
  
It was nighttime outside the city. The perfect time to flee and have little fear of pursuit. A chocobo was tied to a tree on the outskirts of the city.  
  
As Shivra proceeded toward the chocobo, she all of the sudden tripped over something lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in fear as she saw the still form of a young man sprawled over the ground. Several bullet wounds were scattered across his chest.  
  
" Zack," she cried, scrambling to her knees beside him.  
  
" Shivra...?" Zack moaned, just barley opening his eyes.  
  
" Hold on, Zack," she urged. Shivra slipped her arm around Zack's shoulders and hoisted him onto the chocobo's back. She vaulted onto the chocobo behind him and seized the reins.  
  
" Shivra...?" Zack repeated.  
  
" Hang on, little brother," Shivra commanded as she spurred the chocobo toward the horizon.  
* * * Five years later...  
  
Rufus picked up a suspicious looking letter from his pile of mail. He opened it carefully and read it slowly to himself.  
  
Dear Rufus,  
I regret to inform you that I can't tell you where we are, lest this letter reach the wrong hands. But, I can say that our son was born in Rocket Town, though we have moved far away from there to avoid pursuit. He looks exactly like you, if only you could see him. He grows more like you every day. I hope you approve of the name Lucius, which is what I have named him. I have also been reunited with my brother, Zack, who now lives with us and helps me provide for the three of us.  
Lucius and I came upon the raided nest of a true dragon upon our arrival at our new home. Lucius decided that he wanted to keep the sole surviving egg and train it for his own. He has grown considerably in these past few years. His chocobo, Masaaki, is a champion at the local chocobo races that often take place between the residing gangs. Every few months he even goes to the Gold Saucer to compete in the races there. He now even contributes to the income of this odd family.  
Zack has been trying to talk me into helping him with one of his theories, of which he has had many lately. I am reluctant to help, but he is, after all, my brother and I do have an obligation to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Lucius pesters me constantly to tell him about you and why he is the way he is. As you well know, Sephiroth went insane from not knowing what he was, therefore I will not subject Lucius to such a fate. He knows all about Hojo and the experiments that make us and I what we have become. He was in a rage for a few days, but he behaved himself reasonably. He reminded me of you when he was stomping about. But that temper tantrum, if that's what you'd like to call it, taught the family pet a valuable lesson. Gavial, Lucius's dragon, now realizes that she isn't the head of the house, though Lucius had his nose bent when she started taking orders from me as well as him. Thus relieving me of my duty to teach Lucius how to share.  
I won't ask you for support, there would be no way for you to give it, and though life here is hard at times we will manage to survive. When the time comes, Lucius and I will make the journey to Midgar to see you.  
Until that time,  
Shivra ShinRa  
  
P. S. I hope your father got my note, since I was right about Sephiroth. 


	2. The White Materia

All That's Evil By Semdai  
  
Chapter One  
  
Midgar, during the time of Diamond Weapon's final appearance...  
* * * Rufus threw himself under his desk as Diamond Weapon's blasts came at his office. He covered his head with his hands as debris buried him beneath his desk. Then came the heat and the pain that was to follow it. The fire had badly burned him, but Rufus was strong and would not be taken down. Rufus cried out when a piece of flying debris caught him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling foreword into the side of the desk. Rufus felt the hot blood seep from his forehead a second before the pain seared into the front of his brain. He felt as if his skull had split in two. Blindly, Rufus fled from the flames, running with his last remaining strength down the stairs and escaping into the alleys, where he collapsed, his blood spreading over the pavement, unable to run any longer...  
* * * Two years after the rebels of Avalanche defeated Sephiroth, stopping Meteor, and six years after Shivra escaped from Hojo and into the mountains of Nibelheim, bringing with her the last surviving victims of Jenova's mark...  
* * * All was quiet in the City of the Ancients. The air stirred only by the presence of an occasional breath of wind. And by a lake of crystal clear water, illuminated by the light of the rising sun, two figures rested. One was a man with long, spiky, black hair and dark, cerulean eyes. He was clad in the outfit of one belonging to the organization called Soldier. The other was a woman in a long, flowing cloak of the deepest red, matching the streaks in her waist length, raven-colored hair. She wore a faded, black sweater and tight, black, denim pants. Her sea green eyes were focused on the bottom of the lake, the resting place of Aeris Gainsborough.  
  
" That's her," the man said to the woman as he rose to his feet. He appeared to be around twenty years of age. The woman didn't respond. She had never met Aeris in person, all she knew about her was that she was a Cetra. And that she was her brother's girlfriend.  
  
" We should get moving," the woman said flatly. She turned and started toward the shell shaped building on the edge of the lake. The man stole one last glance back at Aeris, then turned and followed his sister to the building. She was already far ahead of him.  
  
" Wait up, Shivra," he called to her. Shivra stopped at the entrance to the building and waited but didn't say anything. Once her brother had caught up to her, Shivra continued down a flight of stairs into a room full of water with several raised areas.  
  
" Come on, Zack," she said jumping onto one of the platforms, her cloak swirling around her as she landed in a cat-like stance. Shivra reached out and touched the ground in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and examined a faint footprint in the dust. Then, without warning, she charged forward, leaping from platform to platform until she reached the end of the path.  
  
Zack followed though he was much more careful than Shivra about his going. By the time Zack reached his companion, she was already leaning far over the edge of the platform combing the water as if she was looking for something.  
  
" Can you see it," he asked, leaning over her shoulder. Shivra continued to scope.  
  
" The water's too deep," she replied, not looking up, " I'll have to go down there." She stood up and discarded her cloak. Under the cloak, her lean body seemed surprisingly muscular. A series of intricately linked earrings hung from her left ear and the visible portions of her body were covered in strange, black writing. From a leather satchel at her side, she produced a red materia orb.  
  
" Which summon materia is that," Zack questioned. Shivra didn't answer. She put the materia to her forehead and closed her eyes. As she concentrated, the orb began to glow a deep, scarlet red.  
  
" Tidal wave," she said quietly. A giant leviathan shot from the orb and coiled itself in the air in front of Shivra. The sea beast's pupil-less, aquamarine eyes stared at her expectantly. " Take me to the bottom of this room," she commanded. Leviathan allowed Shivra to climb onto his back.  
  
" Be careful, Shivra," Zack warned as she and Leviathan disappeared beneath the water. Leviathan carried Shivra deep into the waters to the very bottom of the room. Shivra held onto one of Leviathan's flippers as she dug in her materia bag searching for a specific orb. She produced a small, purple sphere and pressed it to her forehead. The underwater materia glowed a beautiful violet as its powers worked over Shivra. She let go of Leviathan and used her grappling fingers to drag along the floor of the room.  
  
A faint glow several meters away attracted Shivra's attention. She swam toward it, Leviathan followed close behind her. The glow came from a tiny materia orb. It was unlike any materia she had ever seen before, creamy white with swirls of lifesream green. She closed her long fingers around it and turned back to Leviathan.  
  
" Take us to the surface," she mouthed, taking hold of the summons's flipper. Leviathan brought Shivra back to the surface of the water and deposited her on the platform next to Zack. She retrieved the red materia. " Thank you, Leviathan," she said softly. The sea beast shrank to the size of a common snake and disappeared back into the orb from whence it had come.  
  
" I got the white materia. Inform Lucius of our whereabouts," she commanded as she shook herself as a crude means of drying out her clothes, not that she was any bit bothered by it. The extreme training she had undergone over the last six years had molded her into a rival of the Soldiers in all senses of pain and harsh conditions. The training had left its mark, but she had emerged victorious and was ready to reclaim her place in the cosmos.  
  
Zack pulled out his PHS and dialed a number into it. After a few moments, a voice from the other end answered.  
  
" Is that you, Lucius," Zack asked, speaking into the PHS.  
  
" Go ahead, Uncle Zack, it's me," Lucius's voice replied.  
  
" Your mom's got the white materia," Zack continued, " she says come to the City of the Ancients."  
* * * Lucius put the PHS in his pocket and turned Masaaki's reins. The chocobo warked in protest, but Lucius spurred him foreword. The snow of the high mountains whipped around him as he raced past Icicle Inn toward the sleeping forest. Flecks of snow clung to the inky black feathers of his chocobo, greatly contrasting the two colors. Once they were clear of the snowlands, Lucius turned Masaaki east. The chocobo warked again, but continued without resistance. The creatures of the sleeping forest watched the chocobo race through, but paid it no further heed. After entering the city, Lucius slowed to a walk. Not that he couldn't have galloped through the streets of the abandoned city, he just felt that he had pushed Masaaki hard enough and let the chocobo pick the pace he wanted.  
  
They reached the lake a few minutes later. Lucius dismounted and led his chocobo to the water were he could drink and rest. He knelt down by the lake and peered into the water. The last time he had been here there had been the still body of a young woman at the bottom of the lake. Lucius had never met that woman. All he knew was that his uncle had known her. She was missing from her resting place.  
  
Lucius stood up, his long black cloak billowing behind him, and started down the path to the room of waters, were his mother was waiting.  
* * * Shivra embraced her son as he entered the room. He snuggled closer to her, not caring that her clothes were a bit damp. Shivra buried her face in her son's dark, orange hair. Zack watched quietly. Lucius had grown considerably since he had seen him last. He was really beginning to look like his father. Between his fire-like orange hair and dark, azure eyes it was a wonder no one had guessed who his father was.  
  
For as long as he could remember, Lucius's only family had been his mother and uncle. He had never met his father, but his mother constantly told him that he looked so much like him. Lucius did look like his father and, though he didn't know it, he acted very much like him as well. He was ambitious, devoted, strong willed, and very determined to prove himself. With little respect for those outside his family, it also made him somewhat cold to the world. After all that society had offered him, he had learned a long time ago that only precious few people would ever look after you, the rest you had to do yourself to stay alive. Always relying on others only got you killed you in the long run.  
  
Zack had once told him why he had never met his father. Lucius had been enraged by the story, both of his excelled growth and of his mother's endless sadness. Zack had told him that his grandfather and a man named Hojo had captured his mother and done terrible things to her in an attempt to turn him into one of the Sephiroth clones. The experiments had nearly killed Shivra, but his father had helped her escape shortly before he was born, at great spiritual cost to himself.  
  
In a near six year period that had followed, Lucius had achieved the maturity level of a twenty year old, bred and trained Masaaki, his black chocobo, and raised his dragon, Gavial.  
  
" How'd you get here so fast," Zack asked.  
  
" I was training with Masaaki out in the snowfields," Lucius replied, letting go of his mother, " the monsters there are behaving very strangely. It's like they knew I was coming."  
  
" The sense the mako energy gathering," Shivra explained. Like her son and husband, she was often cold and blunt about such maters. Being raised on the streets only added to that sense of knowing but not caring.  
  
" How do you know that," Zack interrogated.  
  
" All three of us have been infused with Jenova cells," Shivra explained, " I just use my altered senses differently than you two." It made sense, but didn't quite satisfy Zack's curiosity. But, it would be futile to try to get Shivra to tell more. She was so stubborn, you couldn't get anything out of her that she didn't want to share. And though Zack wasn't satisfied with Shivra's blunt answer, Lucius saw no reason to pursue the matter further.  
  
" We should get down to business," Shivra said, changing the subject, " you want this friend of yours tended to, don't you?" Zack nodded.  
  
" Do you mean that woman at the bottom of the lake," Lucius asked. Zack gave him a puzzled look. " She wasn't there when I came through," he explained.  
  
" How could that be possible," Zack demanded, " she hasn't moved in over two years."  
  
" Someone moved her while I was retrieving the white materia," Shivra concluded, " I sense the presence of another who carries Jenova's mark. Not to mention the footprints in the dust on the platforms back there." Zack and Lucius looked about fearfully. Shivra stepped into the center of the platform. " I sense you, Sephiroth," she shouted, " though I have never seen you, I sense your presence. I ask you to come and speak with me."  
  
" You are bold to ask such a request of one such as myself," a nameless, male voice answered.  
  
" I don't doubt that your power exceeds mine," Shivra replied in a respectful manner, " You were born to the Mako as my son was, I have only carried it for a sparse six years." The voice was silent for a few minutes. " You tire of this conversation," Shivra inquired.  
  
" No," the voice answered, " I will speak with you." A man dressed all in black slowly floated down from the ceiling. " Sephiroth," Zack realized. Lucius studied Sephiroth. After all, Hojo had attempted to turn him into this man.  
  
" This boy with you," Sephiroth wanted to know, " he has carried Jenova's mark from birth?"  
  
" Indeed, he has," Shivra replied.  
  
" So, you are the great Sephiroth," Lucius concluded, " I suppose I should bear great hatred for you, yet I do not see the reason to."  
  
" You speak as one beyond your years," Sephiroth observed. Lucius shrugged.  
  
" This Mako presence has spurred my maturity level," he explained bluntly.  
  
" And you have not been driven mad by the knowledge of such things," Sephiroth questioned. He seemed amazed that a mere boy could cope with the knowledge that he would never have a place in the world to call his own. Lucius merely shrugged in reply.  
  
" Never had a reason to," he guessed. Sephiroth seemed impressed. Shivra gazed hard at him as if she could see within his soul. Her mako green eyes narrowing and her brow creasing as if she was deep in concentration.  
  
" Why do you stare at me so," Sephiroth asked, turning his attention to Shivra.  
  
" I see that you are not the mere mindless villain Hojo led us to believe you had become," she replied, circling Sephiroth like a vulture, constantly absorbing the details of his stature, " you are confused, afraid even, for you still don't know enough about Jenova to satisfy your curiosity." Sephiroth took a step backwards in fear.  
  
" You see into my soul as if I am an open book," he said, a hint of defeat in his voice.  
  
" What have you done with Aeris," Zack demanded, finally gathering his courage to speak. Sephiroth smirked.  
  
" You presume so much yet know so little," he grinned. Lucius leaned casually against the walls of the shrine that stood on the last pillar. He fancied he could see a blood stain on the ground.  
  
" Are we not unlike yourself," he countered. The mako in Sephiroth's eyes flared angrily as he drew his sword from its sheath. Shivra tensed, ready to defend her son if she needed to.  
  
" You would fight me," Sephiroth challenged. Lucius unsheathed one of his swords and twirled it idly in his hand.  
  
" If it needs to be," he accepted. Lucius and Sephiroth stared hard at each other. Shivra's eyes narrowed in anger at the threat to her son. " Back off," she demanded slowly, stepping between them and flexing her body as if for a battle. Sephiroth glared at her.  
  
" Make me," he countered. Shivra lifted her hand and sent an ultima attack in Sephiroth's direction. Sephiroth recoiled from the blast, but regained his senses quickly. Shivra was ready to strike again, but waited to see if it was necessary to do so. Despite her great fondness of violence, Shivra wasn't really in the mood for a fight at the moment.  
  
" Fight me and I will kill you," she warned, " I have no patience for agitation."  
  
Sephiroth's pride had been severely wounded by this woman who challenged him without fear. She was very intimidating in his eyes. The way he saw it, she was just trying to piss him off. And, though he would never admit to it, she was doing a good job of it. This wasn't part of Shivra's plan for this battle. She credited herself at being able to judge her opponents fairly well. It amused her to provoke her enemies to attack hastily, which made it easier to slip beneath their defenses. With Sephiroth, she would be like any large predator, show off her strength and force the enemy into submission.  
  
" I will not stand down," Sephiroth defied. His mako green eyes glowed with determination.  
  
" Have it your way, then," Shivra sighed. She lifted her arms, revealing more of the strange writing. Sephiroth stood transfixed by the foreign words.  
  
" In the name of the Air that sighs with the wind, In the name of the Fire that burns within, In the name of the Water that mirrors the sky, In the name of the Earth that gives us life, " Shivra chanted.  
  
" What's she doing," Zack whispered to Lucius.  
  
" Summoning," Lucius replied curtly. He watched his mother intently, learning the words required for the summons. ' One day,' he told himself, ' I will call these monsters alongside my mother.'  
  
" I call on the powers of the Air and the Water," Shivra screamed, " Vipera!" A howling wail filled the room the likes of which Lucious had never heard before. It was like the scream of a true dragon as it rose from its lair to hunt once again. It sent shivers down the spines of everyone, Shivra being an exception. The waters below them churned as if a great beast were rising from the depths of the planet. Suddenly, the water parted and a strange creature rose from beneath it.  
  
The demon resembled a dragon in all sense and yet could never have passed for one. It had a long, elegantly slender throat with a prolonged, dragonic head. The eyes of the beast were a sickly, dark orange. Its legs were lean and tipped with viciously long talons. At the base of its neck where the arms should have been, two, greatly extended appendages had sprouted, serving as wings. The pinions consisted of oily, black feathers. The rest of the creature's body was covered in thick, midnight black scales.  
  
" What is that," Sephiroth demanded shrilly, stepping back in fear. Shivra merely pointed at Sephiroth, her sea green eyes glowing furiously.  
  
" Destroy him, Vipera," she ordered. Vipera turned its gaze on Sephiroth, who took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He didn't know why he was afraid of this creature, but nevertheless, the mere presence of it filled his soul with dread.  
  
Vipera roared and charged. Sephiroth held the masamune in front of himself as if it could protect him from monster's assault. Vipera's talons easily knocked the sword from Sephiroth's hands and caught him in the shoulder. Sephiroth gripped his wound in pain. Vipera elevated into the air and turned, preparing for another strike. Sephiroth threw himself to the side, barely missing the monster's claws. His fingers closed around the hilt of his sword. He tried to swipe at Vipera, but the beast was to agile in the air to be hit by so feeble an attempt. It recoiled, slamming its whip-like tail into Sephiroth's chest, sending him rolling backwards. Sephiroth jumped to his feet.  
  
" You haven't seen the last of me," he warned, just before vanishing seemingly into thin air. Vipera halted its charge and hovered above the platforms.  
  
" Indeed we have not, Sephiroth," Shivra retorted, " Well done, Vipera." The summon bowed its head and slowly became transparent, eventually disappearing completely into shards of shimmering spiritual energy. The shards themselves repeated the process over and over until there was nothing left of Vipera.  
  
" What was that, Shivra," Zack was stunned by the appearance of Vipera. Lucius was too shocked to say anything.  
  
" One of the lost thirteen summons," Shivra explained, " ancient fiends born long ago when the planet was young to serve the those who could call them down from their eternal resting places."  
  
" It was beautiful," Lucius stated, " such a magnificent creature."  
  
" They all are," Shivra assured, " they are as magnificent as they are powerful. Legend tells of one more powerful than all of them combined, said to have been born at the same time as the planet and bound by sacred law to protect it. The ancient writings of the Cetra call it Semdai, the Master Summon. It comes only to a summoner of the purest heart and the bravest soul. But, enough of this. Sephiroth has fled, but he will return. We have the white materia and there is little time to tend to Aeris."  
  
" But she's missing," Zack protested. Shivra chuckled in amusement.  
  
" Her physical body is not required," she explained. Zack felt a bit embarrassed, but didn't show it. Shivra smiled and retrieved the white materia from her pouch. She smirked in triumph and pocketed it once again as she led the way out of the building. Masaaki warked a greeting to Lucius when the reached the lake.  
  
" Hey, boy," Lucius greeted his chocobo with a pat on its head. Shivra and Zack's chocobos were housed further down the road out of the city. Shivra's chocobo, Osiris, was also a black like Masaaki. Osiris was older than Masaaki, though, and had darker colored feathers. Zack's chocobo, Anubis, wasn't really black, but it did look like it from a distance. The chocobo's feathers were actually more like the color of ashes. They rode their chocobos out of the Sleeping Forest and across the narrow crags of rock that formed a bridge between the western continent and the northern continent.  
  
" Where are we going," Lucius asked.  
  
" Cosmo Canyon," Shivra replied, spurring Osiris foreword. The chocobo galloped faster, soon pulling ahead of Zack and Lucius. They reached the red walls of the canyon about three hours later. Shivra called for a halt at the gates of the city. The watchman spotted them.  
  
" What business have you in Cosmo Canyon," he demanded. Shivra stood up in the saddle.  
  
" We wish to speak with Nanaki," she called.  
  
" Very well," the watchman replied after a pause, " you may enter the canyon."  
  
" Thank you," Shivra acknowledged. They dismounted their chocobos and left them at the gate.  
  
" I will inform Nanaki of your presence," the watchman notified, then he strode off to find the canyon's protector.  
* * * A large tiger-like animal with glossy, scarlet fur dotted with occasional scars and other such marks sat on his haunches on a floor carpeted by piles upon piles of books, many in foreign languages or ancient script. Most of them old, dusty volumes with their titles faded from the covers. He turned the page of the book he was currently reading with his nose and tilted his head so that he could better see the text through his good eye, the other marred by a thick, black scar and veiled by a streak of loose hair from his mane. He had just finished the page when the guard knocked on the door to his study.  
  
" Enter," he permitted.  
  
" Great Nanaki, A group of people has just arrived," the lookout notified, " they have asked to speak with you." Nanaki pondered this for a moment.  
  
" I will receive them at the candle," he replied, pushing his books aside for the time being. Nanaki stood up and followed the lookout out of the observatory and down to the candle.  
* * * Lucius and Zack were seated beside the roaring flames of the candle. Shivra, on the other hand, paced back and forth. She only ceased when she spotted a tiger-like beast moving towards them. Lucius was intimidated by Nanaki, thinking that he was an enemy. He immediately jumped foreword to defend his mother if it became necessary.  
  
Nanaki hesitated at the sight of Lucius. It had been nearly two years since he had first seen Rufus, but the boy in front of him looked enough like the president of ShinRa to be a younger version of him. He continued foreword when the woman behind Lucius reassured the boy that the creature he saw was no threat to them.  
  
" Welcome to Cosmo Canyon," Nanaki greeted, approaching his visitors and sitting in front of them, tipping his head in a greeting.  
  
" Thank you for seeing us," the woman acknowledged, " I hope we aren't interrupting anything."  
  
" Nothing of importance," Nanaki dismissed the matter with a wave of his paw. His eyes lingered for a moment on the marks covering the woman's skin, for a moment almost able to make sense of the foreign writing. " It isn't often we have visitors," he remarked, " My name is Nanaki, the son of Seto and protector of Cosmo Canyon."  
  
" My name is Shivra," the woman introduced, " this is my brother, Zack." She gestured towards the black haired man behind her. " And my son, Lucius." She set a hand on the boy's shoulder. Nanaki acknowledged each one of them in turn, a faint memory of a story Cloud had once told him sparked to life.  
  
" How can I be of any assistance," he asked.  
  
" We are looking for someone, actually," Shivra explained, " we were wondering if you could help us find him." Nanaki nodded.  
  
" I shall help as best I can," he relied, " who is it you seek?"  
  
" A man by the name of Cloud Strife," Shivra answered. Nanaki thought for a moment. Nobody had asked him about Cloud in a while.  
  
" I believe Cloud has settled in Kalm with Tifa," he answered after a short pause.  
  
" Tifa Lockheart," Zack asked. Nanaki shook his head.  
  
" They are married now," he explained.  
  
" I see," Zack concluded.  
  
" Thank you very much," Shivra smiled, " you have been most helpful." Nanaki had to admit that she was kind of pretty when she smiled, but not enough to mask the aura of a powerful killer he sensed from her. " We will leave you in peace," she concluded. With a respective bow to Nanaki and a friendly wave, Shivra led her family back to their chocobos and out of Cosmo Canyon.  
  
Nanaki made his way back to the observatory, memorizing the one word he had been able to translate from the writing on Shivra's body. The word was Semdai.  
* * * Shivra led her followers north once again, back to Nibelheim and the mountains that lay beyond it. Their home was nestled somewhere inside Mt. Nibel, hidden from anyone who might try to harm them. Their mountain sanctuary was what had protected them for several years. It wasn't a perfect refuge, but they were content and had found ways to survive.  
  
They left their chocobos in the fields outside the town of Nibelheim, like they always did. They had built a small stable into one of the crags alongside the mountains to house their chocobos when they weren't riding them. In addition to the chocobos they were currently riding, Shivra and Lucius had bred a whole herd of multicolored chocobos, all of them very loyal and obedient.  
  
Gavial sensed her master coming long before Lucius entered the immense cavern where his dragon lived. Gavial was a very rare species of true dragon. Her kind was very unlike the mako created dragons that had once been common in the mountains. With thanks to Lucius and Shivra, these mako dragons had long since been whipped out. Even so, Gavial's kind had never really gained any numbers in the Mt. Nibel caves, all of them migrating north into the Gaea Cliffs seeking refuge from the humans that had settled in the caverns.  
  
Gavial's cave was easily the size of a massive tenement, much larger than Shivra's dwelling and Zack's combined. Its ceiling was outfitted with a giant hole to allow Gavial to leave her home whenever she wished. This hole also provided Gavial's cavern with light and fresh air. Even during storms, the cave was a perfect refuge for the dragon, despite the gaping opening in the roof. Storms, even, were welcomed by the dragon as the rain filled a pit she had dug under the opening and provided all of them with a source of water.  
  
Lucius greeted Gavial with a scratch behind her long, feathery ears. At six years old, Gavial was bigger than any mako dragon Lucius had ever seen. Her thick, scaly, black hide could no longer be penetrated by simple means. Her wings were fully developed and quite able to support her in flight. But, most the impressive of all Gavial's traits were the horns that protruded from the crown of her skull. Twisted, curling antlers twice the length of her head and as thick as sapling trunks. One swipe with those lethal spines could easily gore any creature foolish enough to challenge her. Lucius admired his dragon, she was still young, as far as dragons go, but he was extremely proud of her. She was so well behaved around Shivra, mostly due to respect for the older female's power. Lucius was now on the verge of teaching her to bear riders in flight. He hadn't expected it to go so smoothly either. Gavial positioned her head against Lucius's chest, then, when he wasn't expecting it lifted him several feet of the ground.  
  
" Does this mean you'll carry me in flight now," Lucius teased, rubbing the scales between Gavial's horns. " Down please, my beauty." Gavial obeyed and deposited Lucius on the ground. He patted her head and gazed for a moment at the soft, loving green of Gavial's eyes. She crooned softly as Lucious headed for his quarters.  
  
Lucius lived in a much smaller establishment than anyone else's, mostly because he had very few possessions and wasn't home often. The few items that Lucius did own were scattered around the room. Most of them were weapons of various types, blades of varied sizes and shapes, a collection of materia orbs, and his bedding. Lucius stretched his weary body out over the pelts that served as his bed. The coarse fur scratched his skin, but he didn't care.  
  
Lucius reached inside his shirt and massaged his aching ribs. He couldn't bring himself to tell his mother about the growing pain in his chest. He had been in pain before but never quite like this. He suspected it had something to do with the mako in his body, but he couldn't be sure. The ache was spreading to his back now, causing him to cringe in pain. He closed his eyes and concentrated on easing the discomfort. Slowly, the ache began to dissipate. It took longer than usual for the displeasure to disperse. This alarmed Lucius, just a little. Still, he dismissed it to being stiff and that all he needed was a good rest.  
  
Shivra and Zack were under no such discomfort. Zack, in fact, had fallen asleep in his quarters not long after their arrival. Shivra had assured him that she would deal with Aeris. Shivra herself had a few hours to kill before she was needed again. She thought about resting, but was to anxious to sleep, finally deciding to visit Lucius.  
  
Shivra's room was deeper in the mountain than her son's. The two dwellings were connected by a series of winding tunnels. Shivra navigated through them effortlessly, having memorized them years ago.  
  
Lucius lifted his head slowly as Shivra entered his residence. She crossed the room gradually and sat on the edge of his bed. He hoped that she wouldn't probe him for the source of his discomfort like she sometimes did.  
  
" How do you feel," she asked.  
  
" Tired," Lucius replied, " a little stiff." Shivra reached out and started to caress the flesh between his shoulder blades. He tensed as her fingers touched him, but relaxed as her healing touch began to work over him.  
  
" Here," she asked. Her fingers kneaded the skin gently. She could feel knots in the muscles of her son's back. Why they had formed there, she didn't know.  
  
" Yeah," Lucius moaned in relief, " that's the spot." Shivra smiled as she continued to massage Lucius's back. After about an hour, Lucius let out a sigh of relief and fell into a relaxed slumber. Shivra listened intently to her son's soft, peaceful breathing, feeling his back rise and fell slightly with each breath. He seemed so worn out.  
  
" Sleep, my angel," she crooned, " be at peace. Someday we won't have to hide anymore. Someday we will be free. Someday..."  
  
" Mama..." Lucius groaned in his slumber. Shivra leaned foreword and kissed her son's cheek. She stroked his hair and departed. The hour had grown late and she was needed elsewhere.  
. . . The sun was going down over the horizon as Shivra reached the highest cave in the mountain. She watched the light fade from sight. Thoughts began to crowd her mind, drifting back two years to the time when she had been sitting in this very same spot watching as meteor descended from the heavens upon the planet. Midgar had been destroyed. Rufus was supposedly dead, though she didn't believe it. She had gone into the town below the mountain when she heard the news to investigate. She had even bought a newspaper so she could read up on the event. Rufus was presumed dead, ShinRa tower had been completely destroyed, Midgar lay in ruins. One line had stayed locked in Shivra's mind ever since. President Rufus ShinRa presumed dead, body not recovered. For two years she had clung to those words, believing that somewhere, somehow, Rufus might still alive.  
  
Twilight was rapidly approaching, reminding Shivra that there were matters at hand requiring her attention. She silently traced the markings on her hand. As her fingers passed each line the marks began to glow a deep, mystic blue resembling the dark cobalt of eyes poisoned by mako.  
  
" Come to me, Aurora of the Air and the Earth," Shivra chanted, " bring to me the soul of Aeris Gainsborough." The light illuminating the marks on Shivra's hands shot from her palms and into the sky. The light took the shape of an enormous eagle-like bird bathed in opalescent fire. The feathered creature raced south and out of Shivra's sight, returning moments later carrying a formless mass of matter the same color as the lifestream. Shivra retrieved the white materia from her pocket and held it out. The shapeless substance in Aurora's talons was drawn into the materia orb.  
  
" Well done, Aurora," Shivra praised. The bird shot itself into the darkening sky and vanished in the same manner as Vipera. Shivra gripped the white materia, holding it in front of the dark horizon. " I beseech thee, Materia of the Lifestream," she whispered, " I ask for the resurrection of the half-Cetra named Aeris Gainsborough." The white materia's green light flared for a few seconds then ascended into the air above Shivra's head. She watched as the light took shape, forming into the body of a young woman of twenty-two years. Shivra recognized the woman's long, chestnut brown hair and delicate features. Aeris slowly began to descend, her body seemed to move of its own accord. Shivra took Aeris into her arms and supported the unconscious woman. Aeris began to wake.  
  
" Where am I," she puzzled.  
  
" You are at the top of Mt. Nibel," Shivra explained, " don't be afraid. You are safe here. Now, can you stand?" Aeris tested her balance.  
  
" I think so." " Good," Shivra approved, " follow me. There is someone I would like you to meet." Aeris hesitated, then followed Shivra into the bowels of the mountain.  
  
" Who are you." she asked as she was led through the twisting tunnels.  
  
" My name is Shivra. You may call me what you wish," Shivra replied, dropping into her chamber. " Welcome to my cave. It's not much, but I call it home." Aeris observed the dwelling critically. It was a little on the dark side, lit only by an oil lamp. Also a bit dirty and cluttered, but all in all not a bad place to live.  
  
" Who is it you wanted me to meet," Aeris asked politely.  
  
" I believe he is an old acquaintance off yours," Shivra explained. Aeris lifted an eyebrow. " if you would follow me," Shivra invited, turning and heading down a passageway. Aeris followed again. She couldn't help but think about how much this strange woman reminded her of Zack.  
  
Shivra rapped her fingers on a board hanging by the entrance to yet another rocky chamber.  
  
" Oh little brother, are you awake," she called sweetly.  
  
" What do you want," a groggy, male voice answered from inside the cave.  
  
" Now don't be so grumpy, brother dear, we have a visitor," Shivra countered in a tone that was meant for a bully teasing their victim. " I'm coming," the voice retorted. Aeris could hear movement from inside the cavern. Seconds later, a man in Soldier garb appeared in the doorway of the cave. Aeris recognized him immediately.  
  
" Zack," she gasped. Zack was speechless for a moment,  
  
" Aeris," he stammered. He reached for her and she leapt into his arms. " You're alive," Zack cheered. Aeris said nothing. Her eyes filed with tears of joy at the sight of him. Shivra smiled to herself as she started down yet another tunnel in the direction of Lucious's room.  
  
" Shivra," Zack called. She stopped and turned her head just in time to see Zack come up behind her and embrace her tightly. " I can't thank you enough," he exclaimed.  
  
" What's a big sister for," Shivra countered, " now go spend time with your friend." Zack released Shivra and hurried back over to Aeris. Shivra grinned again as she disappeared into the stone corridors.  
* * * Kalm had grown considerably since the destruction of Midgar. It was still a relatively peaceful city, not as quiet as Nibelheim or as crowded and dangerous as Junon, but still not a bad place to live. Cloud and Tifa had moved there not long after Midgar had been devastated. Life in Kalm wasn't always easy, but when the marks were tallied Kalm was one of the better cities on the planet. Cloud and Tifa were married now and had settled together, opening a new business and settling near the center of the city.  
  
Two hooded figures riding black chocobos aren't exactly a usual sight. For one part being that black chocobos are very rare and valuable for breeding and selling. And another part being that people wearing hoods on a clear day generates a feeling that something not entirely right is going on. Thus, Shivra and Lucious riding up to the city on their chocobos with their cloaks wrapped around themselves was bound to stir some suspicion. One glare from Shivra banished all confrontation from any who might have interfered with their business. Lucious veered off to the shops in the interior of the city to browse for any worthwhile weapons, as he always did when in Kalm. Shivra headed for the local tavern to listen for any useful information.  
  
Upon entering the bar, Shivra received the usual gazes and cat-calls that are like a tradition in such places. She was immediately pleased when she looked toward the counter. The bartender was a tall, woman in her twenties. She had redwood brown eyes and long, dark brown hair that fell to her waist. Shivra approached the counter and took a seat on one of the stools.  
  
" What'll it be," The woman asked.  
  
" Moonshiner," Shivra ordered. The woman reached under the counter and pulled out the ingredients for the drink.  
  
" Haven't seen you hear before," she commented as she fixed the drink and handed it to Shivra.  
  
" I don't come to this part of the world very often," Shivra answered bluntly, sipping her drink, " I'm actually looking for someone."  
  
" Who would that be," the woman asked.  
  
" A very old friend of mine," Shivra replied, " but in order to find him, I need to speak with a man named Cloud Strife. If you could direct me to him, I'd be most grateful."  
  
" Why would you need to speak with Cloud," the woman questioned. Shivra studied her for a second.  
  
" Your name's Tifa, isn't it," she countered. Tifa stepped back in surprise.  
  
" How do you know that," she demanded fearfully.  
  
" I have my ways," Shivra skirted. Tifa wasn't satisfied in the least with Shivra's response.  
  
" Why do you want to speak with Cloud," she repeated.  
  
" Because," Shivra paused for a moment, " I know something that might be of interest to him."  
  
" What is that," Tifa demanded. Shivra stared at Tifa with an annoyed look on her face, letting the mako glow in her eyes present itself.  
  
" I know what really happened to Aeris Gainsborough," she revealed.  
  
" Aeris died over two years ago," Tifa snorted.  
  
" Then this ribbon makes no nevermind to you," Shivra asked, pulling a pink ribbon out of her pocket, " Aeris said to give it to Cloud and Tifa." Tifa paused, badly shaken by the information.  
  
" Cloud will be here in an hour," she stammered. Shivra grinned to herself and went back to her drink.  
* * * Lucius, as usual, had no luck in locating some new, good weapons. So he did what he always did, wander around the alleys looking for a fight. Suddenly, a figure jumped out of nowhere and wrapped an arm around Lucius's neck. He struggled, but his attacker was too strong for him.  
  
" Let me go, Damnit," he gasped, prying at the arm enclosed around his throat.  
  
" Quite squirming, you little runt," the figure commanded. Lucius tried to kick his captor, but the figure was too quick. " I'm not that stupid, you know," he mused.  
  
" What do you want," Lucius demanded.  
  
" I should think it obvious," the figure laughed, dragging a struggling Lucius behind him as he made his way down the ally.  
* * * " Let me get this straight," Cloud interrupted. He and Tifa had been listening to Shivra's story for the past couple of hours. " You say, that you can raise the souls of the dead from their slumber and give them back their physical bodies?"  
  
" That's correct," Shivra replied.  
  
" And you've done this with Aeris," Tifa questioned.  
  
" Correct again," Shivra droned.  
  
" Why," Cloud demanded.  
  
" Let's just say, I needed an offering for your help," Shivra skirted, " and my brother had his reasons as well."  
  
" What do you want from us," Cloud demanded, jumping to his feet. Shivra barely shifted her gaze when Cloud seized her collar and dragged her toward him. " Tell us!"  
  
" Let go of my coat," Shivra ordered coldly, yet in a rather casual voice. Cloud glared at her, but felt it wouldn't be wise to provoke a fight. Reluctantly, he released his grip on Shivra's collar. " Thank you," she responded.  
  
" Why Aeris," Cloud repeated.  
  
" I thought you might want to see an old friend again," Shivra explained, " in exchange for your help in locating my husband."  
  
" What's your husband's name," Tifa asked. Shivra paused for a long moment before answering.  
  
" Rufus ShinRa," she revealed, " I know the reports say that he's dead, but they never found his remains. Even if he really is dead, I want to know what happened to him. I owe Lucius that much."  
  
" Who is Lucius," Cloud asked.  
  
" My son," Shivra replied, " he has a right to know. And I want him to know the truth as well, what his father and I were put through to keep him safe. I would do anything for him. He's the only part of Rufus I have now. I'm sorry for dragging you both into this, but understand that I have suffered these past six years not knowing whether Rufus is all right or not. You cannot begin to fathom the agony it has been for me to watch my son grow to be the shadow of his father, to see the image of the one person I love growing up without the one other person who might mean something in his life."  
  
" You really loved Rufus, didn't you," Tifa asked gently. By now, Shivra was bent over in her seat with her fingers entwined in her dark hair, a ring on her left hand caught the light and shimmered.  
  
" I love him still," she said softly. The discussion had forced her to open her emotions. A feeling she had forgotten many years ago when she had been forever separated from the rest of the world, not really cast out, but forced away from all she had loved. The trials of her life had all but slaughtered her emotions, leaving behind a cold, dark remnant of a once beautiful and loving person. " I don't sleep very much anymore for fear that I will see him in my dreams and mistake it for reality." Shivra shut her eyes and tried to get a grip on her senses.  
  
" We will help you find out what happened to Rufus," Cloud decided, " we helped to bring about the destruction of his company. And I'm the one to blame for the Weapon that supposedly killed him." Shivra felt this way too, but hadn't wanted to use it against Cloud. That was a bad way to do business. Nevertheless, she looked up, almost surprised by Cloud's willingness to help her. She needed his help. Her theory was that when the lifestream had covered Midgar, Rufus might have been drawn into its life-giving waters. Cloud knew what that was like, therefor she needed his aid.  
  
" I will accompany you wherever you go and serve as your protector, the search may be dangerous," Shivra offered.  
  
" Your offer is accepted," Cloud replied, holding out his hand to Shivra. She stared at him for a second, confused by his act of politeness, or was it a spark of compassion, then shook hands with him, sealing their deal and assuring her that when their business was over she and Lucius would have their answers. 


	3. Findings in Midgar

All That's Evil By Semdai  
  
Chapter Two  
  
After Rufus became president, he appointed the Turks with a mission apart from any others they had ever had. Their mission was to locate Shivra and her son...  
* * * Nanaki sniffed the ground. The tiger-like beast's fire-red fur twitched. " I smell blood," he growled menacingly. Barret replied by cocking his gun- arm.  
  
" Can you tell where," Cloud asked, drawing his sword. Nanaki sniffed the ground again.  
  
" This way," he concluded, taking off in the direction of the scent. Cloud and Barret hurried after him. Nanaki halted near a cluster of debris that must have blown off the ShinRa Tower.  
  
" This ain't nothin' but a pile of junk, Red," Barret complained.  
  
" The smell ends here," Nanaki explained. Cloud circled the heap in confusion. A weak moan near the base of the pile caught his attention. When he knelt down to investigate the sound, Cloud felt a warm, wet substance under his hand. A small pool of blood had seeped out from under the cluster of junk, the source of the scent.  
  
" Barret, Nanaki, come look at this," he urged. They too knelt down to study the blood. Nanaki shivered. Barret shoved several iron beams away. There was no mistaking the red hair and navy blue jacket of the man trapped beneath the debris. It was Reno of the Turks and, surprisingly, he was still alive.  
  
" It's Reno," Barret observed. The Turk turned his body as much as the beams would allow. Now, Cloud could see where the blood had come. A split in Reno's jacket revealed a sight that made his stomach twist. Reno's side had a gash in it that stretched from his stomach to inches from his spine situated just below his rib cage.  
  
" What happened to you, Reno," Cloud demanded. Reno didn't answer right away, instead he vainly tried to free himself.  
  
" I tripped and fell," he replied sarcastically, giving up trying to free himself and collapsing, drenched in is own blood, " what do you think happened? I was attacked by Sephiroth."  
  
" Sephiroth is still alive," Nanaki questioned. Reno didn't seem to want to stay on the subject of Sephiroth.  
  
" Suppose you could lend a hand to someone in need," he asked, changing the subject. His eyes were alight with mixed emotion.  
  
" Why should we," Barret countered. Reno closed his eyes and took a deep breath to still the involuntary trembling of his body.  
  
" Because I can't get outta here otherwise," he sighed in defeat, " and I know what it is you're looking for." Cloud, Barret, and Nanaki shrugged then went to work.  
  
" Don't know why we're helpin' the enemy," Barret grumbled as he lifted the last beam off of Reno's chest. Cloud dragged him free of the rubble and tried to help him up but Reno protested that he couldn't stand, which was true. Cloud propped the Turk up against a wall.  
  
" Now, what do you know that we might want," Nanaki pestered.  
  
" About six yeas ago, President ShinRa and Hojo attempted to clone another, more powerful, Sephiroth," Reno started, leaning against a wall for support.  
  
" Who did they use for cloning," Barret demanded.  
  
" I'm getting there," Reno said flatly. Barret's gun-arm flew out and smashed into Reno's injured side. Cloud looked away as Reno's blood drenched Barret's arm. The Turk cried out in pain and collapsed, clutching his side.  
  
" Tell us now or I'll hit you again," Barret threatened. Reno didn't answer. The only sounds he made were stifled whimpers of pain and the sound of his labored breathing. Barret lifted his arm to strike Reno again. Cloud intercepted the blow before he could move.  
  
" If you keep this up, he'll die before you get anything outta him," he protested.  
  
" You talk to him then," Barret growled. Cloud knelt beside Reno.  
  
" Just tell us and we'll help you," he offered. Reno flinched as Cloud touched his shoulder. " Just tell us," Cloud repeated.  
  
" None of the ShinRa employees have ever seen him," Reno explained, " most don't even know his name."  
  
" I wish you could tell us," Cloud interrupted.  
  
" Tseng told me once that several years ago Rufus had a lover. Rufus tried so hard to keep her a secret, but somehow his father found out and captured her. He turned her over to Hojo and that bastard exposed her to Mako. You can probably guess what happened after that," Reno continued.  
  
" How many lives does the ShinRa have to ruin," Barret raged.  
  
" Do you know where the boy is now," Nanaki asked, the story was reminding him of the strange people that had visited the canyon not long ago.  
  
" No, but I would suspect that he's looking for Rufus," Reno replied, " seeing as how he's the boy's father."  
  
" Whoa! Whoa! Back up," Barret exclaimed, " Are you telling us that there's another Rufus ShinRa running around?!" He hadn't been listening when Cloud was relaying the situation to the others when they were back in Kalm. He had been too busy thinking of all ways that ShinRa still pissed him off.  
  
" Not another Rufus, but is it so hard to believe that Rufus has a son," Reno asked, the others looked at him suspiciously, " Rufus gave me and the other Turks a special job not long after he became president."  
  
" What kind of job," Barret demanded.  
  
" A search," Reno proceeded, " he wanted us to find some woman and her kid. I had a picture of the woman but I lost it when Sephiroth jumped me and I fell. Rufus did tell me that the woman's kid was his son."  
  
" I would appear that we may have a predicament on our hands," Nanaki pointed out.  
  
" No shit, sherlock," Barret said sarcastically.  
  
" Now it makes sense," Nanaki concluded.  
  
" What makes sense," Barret wanted to know.  
  
" A strange woman I've never seen before came to the canyon a few days ago asking about Cloud," Nanaki explained, " She had a man and a boy with her. I didn't recognize the man, but he was wearing a soldier uniform. The boy caught my interest, though. He had dark, red-orange hair and almost glowing, blue eyes. Reminded me of Rufus."  
  
" That must have been Shivra's son," Cloud concluded.  
  
" You know her," Reno probed.  
  
" She's the one who hired us to find out about Rufus," Cloud explained, " she told me about her son, a little. Lucius, I think, is what she called him."  
  
" Rufus and Lucius," Reno mused, " sounds rather fitting to me." The others glared at Reno's remark.  
  
" Be serious," Nanaki scolded.  
  
" Sorry," Reno grumbled.  
  
" I think we should get the others in on this," Nanaki suggested, " things could start to really get complicated."  
  
" Ya think," Barret snorted sarcastically. Cloud took the PHS out of his pocket and dialed several numbers into it.  
* * * Visions of a woman with long, black and red hair whirled like a cyclone through his head. Her tantalizing, sea-green eyes focused on him, beckoning him in a seductive way so that when he slowly opened his eyes, barely registering that the loose strands of his orange hair were draped over his eyes, he wished he was still dreaming. Frankly, he didn't really care if his hair was a bit long or not, all his mind was focused on was the dream he'd had. How many times had he had it before, he had lost count a long time ago. He had been dreaming for a long time about not only the mysterious woman but also about flashes of memories that obviously were his yet he didn't remember any of them. The dreams were all but driving him insane, constant reminders that he knew nothing of his past before he woke to find himself sprawled on a beach in the ruins of Mideel one day.  
  
He had been badly wounded when the people of Mideel had discovered him stretched out over the blood stained sand at the edge of the glowing pool of green water that made up the lifestream. Feeling sorry for him, the people of Mideel did their best to nurse him back to health. His wounds had healed perfectly, but they had left their scars, both visible and invisible. A long, thin scar remained extended from the center of his forehead to his temple, serving as the only souvenir from his past. Often at night he would trace the blemish with his finger and try to remember how he had come to acquire it.  
  
Voices from outside jolted him out of his thoughts and reminded him that he had work to do. He sat up in bed and stretched himself. He staggered for a second after standing up. Once he regained his equilibrium, he reached for the clothes he had left on his desk. He pulled the tight, black T- shirt over his head, ruffling his orange hair, and slipped on his loose, dark blue pants. Stepping into the bright sunlight felt good. The hot rays of light warmed his cold skin. It felt marvelous.  
  
" G'morning, Rufus," an old man sitting of to the side greeted.  
  
" Morning, Gilbert," he responded, waving to his friend.  
  
He wasn't sure if Rufus was his real name. He was only called that because it was the only name from his past that he remembered. The name seemed to fit him so that's what the people called him.  
  
" We're fixin' Smither's place today," Gilbert notified.  
  
" Meet ya there at one," Rufus organized.  
  
" Will do," Gilbert agreed. Rufus waved and set out toward the beach for his morning routine.  
  
Ever since he had washed up on these shores, Rufus made it a priority to come to this spot every morning. He wasn't sure why, but it calmed him somewhat to come here and just lie in the sun. The red sand that had been there when he first came had long ago been washed away by the ever-present waves, but Rufus knew the spot the moment he set foot on it.  
  
He plopped down on the warm sand and stretched out his arms. He sprawled himself across the sand, letting the sun bathe him in its harsh but lovely light. He closed his eyes and dozed off.  
* * * Shivra straightened the reins on her chocobo. She was extremely vexed at the moment, mostly due to the fact that she couldn't find Lucius. He hadn't returned from Kalm yet and she could find no sign of him anywhere. Her chocobo warked meekly.  
  
" Come on, Osiris," Shivra urged, " let's go find Lucius." Shivra spurred Osiris south. They raced over the landscape, combing for any sign of Lucius, but after several hours of desperate searching Shivra could find no trace of her son.  
  
Osiris rounded a corner and came to a halt at the top of a high bluff. Shivra stayed mounted on her chocobo's back, her dark hair flying in the wild winds. The sun was going down. The western sky was stained red, purple and blue. She stared sadly at the darkening horizon, remembering that once, long ago, she and Rufus used to watch sunsets like these on evenings when they could slip away from the rest of the world. It had been on one such night that he had taken her into his arms. That night had been the happiest night of Shivra's life. She had been even happier to learn the next week that she was to bear a child.  
  
Terrible things had happened since then. Not just the coming of Meteor and the return of Sephiroth, but also her capture and separation from Rufus. Shivra immediately scolded herself for dwelling on the past. It didn't do any good to dredge up the misfortunes of times past, of course it was wise to learn a lesson from them but dwelling on them only brought depression. As a summoner, Shivra knew that depression was a hindrance to life.  
  
Twilight settled across the land below the bluff. Shivra suddenly felt something tighten inside her. She had a sixth sense about some things and the only other time she had felt this way before was the day that Meteor had appeared above the skies of Midgar. The day that Rufus disappeared. She turned and raced across the dark grass of the plains toward Midgar. A strong feeling that she should be there drove her to ride as fast as she could.  
* * * Sephiroth rose slowly from his seat at the top of ShinRa tower. As he had hoped, Cloud and the others had assembled in Midgar. He picked up his sword from its resting place on a pile of derbies.  
  
" I'm coming for you, Cloud Strife," he whispered as he jumped from his perch into the air.  
* * * Cloud looked up to see a looming shape falling toward them. It took a moment for him to realize that the figure was a man or, more correctly, Sephiroth.  
  
" Heads up, everyone," he shouted, pulling out his sword. Sephiroth landed in a cat-like position on the ground directly in the center of the group. Everyone jumped back in surprise and prepared themselves for battle.  
  
" We meet again at last, Puppet," Sephiroth laughed, " would you care to honor me with a battle."  
  
" We killed you," Cloud stammered, " you should be dead." Sephiroth cackled maniacally.  
  
" It is in death that true immortality is achieved," he mused, " and Jenova never really dies."  
  
" What is that supposed to mean," Cloud demanded. Sephiroth only laughed harder.  
  
" Enough of this small talk," he concluded, " shall we see which of us is truly the strongest?" He jumped into the air and hovered above their heads.  
  
" Let's teach this son of a bitch a lesson he won't ever forget," Barret yelled, loading his gun-arm.  
  
" We'll send him crawling back into the Lifestream," Yuffie joined.  
  
" For all the pain he caused us," Tifa added.  
  
" You do realize that I've heard all your lame excuses for battle cries before," Sephiroth interrupted.  
  
" You have no sense of drama at all," Yuffie whined. Sephiroth gave her a skeptic look.  
  
" Fine then, let's just kill him again and get this over with," Cloud interjected. The others entered their battle positions. " Let's mosey!" Sephiroth snorted.  
  
One by one, each person, with the exception of Reno, charged at Sephiroth, only to be batted away as if they were mere insects, until only Cloud was left standing. Cloud and Sephiroth circled each other like two panthers preparing for a fight to the death. Cloud made the first move. He rushed at Sephiroth at amazing speed, but Sephiroth was ready for him. He dodged Cloud's blow and planted a vicious kick in his spine, sending Cloud sprawling to the ground. Cloud was up again in an instant. Unfortunately, an instant wasn't enough time for Cloud to fully counter Sephiroth's attack. He was only able to throw himself to the side to keep from having the Masamune driven through his back. Before Cloud could get back up again, Sephiroth was upon him, slashing at him wherever he was unprotected. Suddenly, the slashing stopped. Cloud looked up to see another figure leap at Sephiroth. Steel clashed against steel as Sephiroth locked swords with this new attacker. With a sudden burst of strength, Sephiroth sent the figure flying. It had little affect on the figure though for he was up again in a microsecond. Cloud could see the figure clearly now. Time had had little to no effect on him. He still had the same black hair and cerulean eyes. He was still Zack, exactly the way Cloud remembered him.  
* * * Rufus sat wearily in a tree on the outskirts of the forest surrounding Mideel. He was watching a herd of wild chocobos making their way to their nightly resting places. Suddenly, the herd was scattered by new chocobo. It was a black chocobo, blacker than any Rufus had ever seen before. It appeared to be carrying a rider. Suspicious, Rufus climbed, or rather jumped, from his perch in the tree and mounted his own chocobo. He spurred it after the black chocobo.  
* * * Zack and Sephiroth continued to fight. Each one striking only to be parried by the other. Zack seemed to be weakening, but he always stayed on top of the situation. Cloud wanted to help, but Sephiroth's kick had done more damage than he would admit. Moving at all caused extreme pain, therefor he could only helplessly watch Zack weaken while Sephiroth grew stronger. Eventually, Zack's weariness took its toll. Sephiroth not only noticed this, but took advantage of it. Zack made one last attempt to get in a killing blow. His blade cut deep into Sephiroth's upper chest, severing bone and flesh. Sephiroth let out a gargled cry and clutched at the wound with his free hand. He concentrated with all his mental power, preparing for a final assault. Zack suddenly was thrown back a step by the force of the mental blow. His hands locked to the side of his head. He let forth a strangled moan.  
  
" That's it," Sephiroth cackled, " go down like the pathetic dog you are." He focused even harder. forcing Zack to scream in mortal agony as he fell to his knees.  
  
" Chiyupakabara!"  
  
Sephiroth's concentration was interrupted for a second by the new voice. Zack's body slipped to the ground in a crumpled heap, released for the moment from Sephiroth's mental grip.  
  
A relatively small monster leapt from a nearby building. It was about half the size of a chocobo with light brown, scaly skin covering its body. Poison laced spines jutted from all joints of its body. Beside the monster, a woman stood. A woman with long, black and red hair in a crimson cloak.  
  
" Go, Chiyupakabara," Shivra commanded, " attack." Chiyupakabara leapt at Sephiroth, its lethal claws ready to tear him apart. Sephiroth raised his arm to shield himself from the attack. The result was Chiyupakabara's venomous fangs sinking into the flesh of his arms. The fatal venom shot into Sephiroth's bloodstream. Instantly, he felt himself weaken from the immediate effects of the poison. With the last of his strength, Sephiroth struck Chiyupakabara, knocking it away from him.  
  
" Damn you, Shivra," he wheezed, " damn you to Hell and back again!" Then he disappeared. Chiyupakabara seated itself at Shivra's side and began to clean its talons. Slowly, the beast became transparent and broke into shards of multicolored light that disappeared like whisps of smoke. Shivra dropped to her knees beside Zack. She turned him over and examined him.  
  
" Zack," she tried, " can you hear me?" Zack moaned in reply, but did not open his eyes. Shivra placed a hand to his throat. His pulse throbbed against her fingers. " Lie still," she ordered. Then she approached Cloud.  
  
" Good thing you came," he stated, "or we'd probably all be dead."  
  
" There is no 'probably' in this scenario, Cloud Strife," Shivra corrected, "you would be dead if I had arrived even three minutes from now. Sephiroth wouldn't have given the idea of killing all of you a second thought." Cloud shrugged, immediately wishing he hadn't for the pain shooting through his back. " You're hurt," Shivra stated bluntly.  
  
" It's nothing," Cloud protested.  
  
" If it was nothing you'd have still been fighting when I got here," Shivra argued, " now hold still and let me take a look." Cloud obeyed her and remained still as she ran her fingers lightly down his back. Shivra stopped mid-section, feeling a fracture in the bones. " Got a few bones here jolted outta place," she informed, " hold still while I reposition them." Cloud did as he was told. Shivra placed one finger on each of the ruptured bones and gently forced them back into place. Cloud strained his nerves to keep from crying out in pain.  
  
" That hurts," he complained.  
  
" Would you rather be paralyzed for the rest of your life," Shivra countered smartly. Cloud didn't complain again. The rest of Cloud's group was started to get up. Shivra checked each of them for any serious injury, all of them were no worse for the wear. She came last to Reno.  
  
Reno was very pale and weak. Both his injuries and loss of blood had taken a heavy toll on him. Shivra palpated his ribs. Reno flinched heavily at Shivra's touch. She felt for his pulse, finding it weak and shuddering.  
  
" Is he gonna make it," Yuffie asked. Shivra was examining Reno's wound. She didn't answer right away. Reno started to cough. The cough grew worse until Shivra put a hand behind Reno's head to steady him, blood spotted his lips.  
  
" There's a lot of loose blood in his body," Shivra finally answered, " it's gotten into his lungs."  
  
" So, all we can do is stand here and watch him die," Yuffie demanded. Shivra ignored her and peeled Reno's jacket and shirt back. Yuffie and Tifa gagged at the sight of the wound.  
  
" Damn," Cid gasped, cringing.  
  
" The wound is deep," Shivra stated, " the damage is heavy." " Will he live," Cloud asked.  
  
" I can't say," Shivra skirted. Reno seemed to come to his senses for a moment. He stared at Shivra.  
  
" You're the woman... from the picture..." His voice was raspy.  
  
" Rufus sent you to find me," Shivra asked. Reno nodded, not having the strength for anything more. Shivra pulled him into her lap, where she supported his head with her arm. He coughed again.  
  
" I've never... failed a... single... mission," Reno started, " ...as a... Turk..." Shivra tried to hush Reno, but he went on, " after... Rude and... Elena... died from... Meteor... I went... on..."  
  
" You completed the mission Rufus gave you," Shivra reassured, " you were loyal and brave to make it this far. Rufus would have been proud of your work." Reno's breathing became erratic. His body was starting to tremble. He shut his eyes against the pain.  
  
" You deserve peace." Shivra kept her hand on Reno's heart until it stopped. His body relaxed.  
  
Everyone fell silent in respect for Reno... 


	4. Father of Mine

All That's Evil By Semdai  
  
Chapter Three  
  
An unknown materia cave just south of the Temple of the Ancients...  
  
Basil tied his chocobo's reins to a post that had been erected just for that purpose. He reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a small leather pouch. The cave in which he was in was relatively small and scarcely tailored. It contained only some crude furniture that included two couches, a table, and two chairs. In the center was a small fireplace which provided the cave's heat. A strong fire was blazing in the pit. Basil noticed a small stack of wood next to the hearth. Apparently, his cavemate had gathered some wood.  
  
On one of the couches lay a tall man with long, silver hair and evil, green eyes. He was very pale as if he was deathly ill. Basil studied his companion's features. The man's eyes were sullen and his gaze hollow. A festering wound on his left arm oozed a sickly yellow-green pus as if it were severely infected. Basil approached his comrade who turned his head slowly to acknowledge Basil's presence.  
  
" Is this how it was meant to end, Basil," he asked wearily, his blood heavy with the poison of Chiyupakabara, a minion of the summoner called Shivra. Basil had faith in his friend's ability to survive, but ever since his last fight, his friend had become weaker every second.  
  
" What way is this for any man to die," Basil countered, " tell me, Sephiroth, is this how you want to end your days among the living?" Sephiroth didn't answer at first.  
  
" Were it my decision, I would never end my days as a living being," Sephiroth stared up at the ceiling of the cave as he spoke. He realized something as he gazed as one on the brink of death. " I wasn't killed and reborn as I am now just to die now by the poison of an immortal summon. Did you bring me that which I asked of you?" Sephiroth spoke slowly, making each word clear. Basil held out the pouch he had gone to retrieve.  
  
" Indeed, I did," he answered hold out the bag to Sephiroth. Sephiroth took the satchel and opened it. It contained what looked to be black sand. He resealed the bag and gestured for Basil to hand him his dagger. Basil held out the knife he wore at his belt to Sephiroth, who took it and rotated it in a circle for a moment.  
  
" Bring me that glass vial by the fire, would you," Sephiroth requested. Basil snatched up the little container and gave it to Sephiroth. " Thank you," he replied. Basil watched as Sephiroth cut open a vein right next to his wound and collected the blood that ran form the new injury into the vial. The blood was so choked with poison that it was black with the toxin. Sephiroth then reopened the pouch and rubbed the black powder into the cut. His blood began to sizzle and Sephiroth cringed in pain as the medicine began its work. Sephiroth handed the dagger back to Basil. He took it and wiped the blood from the blade with a rag he found by the fireplace. He put the blade back into his belt.  
  
" Will you be all right, my friend," he inquired.  
  
" I shall be fine soon enough," Sephiroth reassured, capping the vial, " would you mind seeing to our guest and making sure that he is comfortable?"  
  
" I shall see to it," Basil replied, turning and walking deeper into the cave where the only light was the glow of the materia within the walls. Sephiroth watched him go, feeling glad to have a friend he could depend on not only for reliability, but also for good company. Sephiroth trusted Basil in a way he trusted no other. And Basil returned that trust in a way no one have ever trusted him before. Sephiroth was glad he had met this strange man he had come to call 'his friend.' Sephiroth leaned against the back of the couch and slept, patiently waiting for the medicine to heal him and truly content for the first time in his life.  
* * * Rufus tied his chocobo to a tree. He continued to listen carefully for any sound of movement other than his own. He heard none. Rufus studied the cave where the black chocobo's rider had entered. It was small cave, roughly the size of a house, hidden in the surrounding foliage. He wouldn't have been able to find it on his own, it was so well concealed. Slowly, he crept toward the entrance and peered inside. The only sign of life he saw was a man lying on a couch and he seemed to be asleep. It wasn't the same man he had seen riding the chocobo, however. Rufus concluded mentally that the other man must have ventured deeper into the cave. Stealthily, Rufus prowled further into the interior of the subterranean room. The evidently sleeping man took no notice of his movement.  
  
Rufus hurried down a passage that branched away from the main cavern. He could hear two voices drifting from farther down the path. Both sounded masculine, but one was deeper than the other as if one speaker was older and the other younger.  
  
" Why am I here," the adolescent voice demanded. Rufus could automatically tell that the voice belonged to a very young person, a boy perhaps.  
  
" Because my companion asked me to collect you and to bring you here," the older voice explained.  
  
" What does your friend want with me," the younger voice charged. Rufus had now reached the end of the passage and was watching the scene with a thoughtful eye. The older speaker was indeed a man. He was very scrawny and not very strong looking with very large violet-blue eyes and a curious look to his features. His dark, brown hair desperately needed to be combed even though it barely reached his ears. His clothes were way too big for him and seriously needed to be washed. He was slight of build as well as short. The tip of a dagger at his belt was the only sign of weaponry that he carried.  
  
The boy didn't seem to be more than seven years old. His dark orange hair fell almost to his shoulders and a strange glow radiated from his azure eyes. He wore a black trenchcoat, dark blue, denim pants, and a black shirt. The boy was tied to a chair. Rufus was suddenly aware of the sound of footsteps coming toward him. Quickly, he ducked into the shadows and held his breath. The man he had seen earlier came down the passage.  
  
" How are you feeling, Sephiroth," the older man asked. The man called 'Sephiroth' shrugged.  
  
" Much better, Basil," he replied. The boy scowled darkly at Sephiroth.  
  
" You seem so bitter, Lucius, you're our guest here you know," Sephiroth teased. Lucius glowered harder.  
  
" What do you want with me," he snarled. Basil and Sephiroth laughed.  
  
" Don't worry, we'll give you back to that bitch you call your mother soon enough," Sephiroth chuckled. Fire roared to life inside Lucius's eyes.  
  
" My mother defeated you with the weakest of her skills," he defied, " she's more powerful than you'll ever be!" Sephiroth grinned evilly.  
  
" Maybe so," he accepted, " but you. Oh Lucius, you and I are two birds of the same feather. If you joined me, you could become the most powerful man in the world."  
  
" Next to you," Lucius contradicted, " as soon as I surpassed your powers you would kill me out of jealousy."  
  
" You're probably right," Sephiroth agreed, " I guess I'll just have to kill you now."  
  
" How's about we duel to the death," Lucius suggested, " that way, I die a fitting death and you get to have the pleasure of killing the only man that rivals your powers."  
  
" I doubt you could be considered a man at your age," Sephiroth chuckled. Lucius shrugged.  
  
" I've got the smarts of a man if not the body of one," he settled. It didn't matter or him one way or another what Sephiroth thought of him.  
  
" Sounds good to me," Sephiroth agreed, " shall we begin?" Basil cut the ropes that bound Lucius to the chair. Sephiroth drew his sword and waited for Lucius to retrieve his. Lucius picked up his two swords. He had made them about two years ago from the claws of the last Materia Keeper that had been left in Mt. Nibel. Adoring their lightness and durability, he had fashioned them into swords with which he destroyed the population of Mako Dragons in the mountain. He still liked to practice with them on days when he had nothing better to do. Not that he needed it, Lucius just liked to stay on top of his skills.  
  
" Ready for the fight of your life, Sephiroth," Lucius challenged. Sephiroth had to admit that the boy was very bold for his age. What a warrior that boy could become, if only he wanted it badly enough.  
* * * Gavial stirred within her cave. She could hear her master calling out too her. Slowly, she rose to her haunches. Spreading her great wings, Gavial leapt Heavenward into the clear, blue sky. Her majestic pinions beat the air without mercy as she soared South to answer her master's call. Shivra watched the dragon from the outskirts of Midgar.  
  
' Find Lucius, Gavial,' she willed mentally to the dragon, ' bring him home.'  
* * * Lucius waited patiently for Sephiroth's first move. He wasn't the kind that liked to make the opening attack. Moving first gives to much away about your strategy, unless you're good enough and can trick your opponent into thinking falsely about your tactics. Shivra had taught him that when she trained him to fight.  
  
" Are you going to attack me or just wait until I'm too old to remember how to fight," Lucius provoked. Sephiroth snickered at the remarked, knowing all too well that Lucius was trying to tempt him into making the first move.  
  
" I'd lop your head off with my sword if only you were about three inches taller," Sephiroth countered. Lucius could see where this was going, so he decided to play with Sephiroth for a while. He could use the time it would buy.  
  
" It's no strength outta my body if you'd like to wait a few years for me to grow those three inches," he continued, " you're the one who'll be getting old and bent, not me."  
  
" And if I stayed as I am now?"  
  
" Then hooray for you. I'll still be young and strong so I can't say that I'll care. Although this image of you standing here, sword in hand, having this conversation with me when we were going to be fighting will be something amusing to tell my mother when I see her again."  
  
" Don't you mean if you see her again."  
  
" I said when meaning 'when I see her again.' If I had doubted that I would see her again then I would have said if."  
  
" Oh you are bold, little one."  
  
" Have you stooped to a point when you can only fight me with verbal blows that mean nothing to me?"  
  
" And you counter me verbal blows so well. What a great fighter you would make."  
  
" I'd be most grateful if you would evaluate your use of would." Sephiroth began to laugh hysterically.  
  
" I mean this," he exclaimed, leaping at Lucius and swiping with his sword. Lucius jumped back soon enough to suffer only a very long cut across his shoulder. The wound stung viciously but other than that Lucius could detect no further damage.  
  
" A killing blow on the first strike," Sephiroth rejoiced.  
  
" Your perception deceives your mind," Lucius countered, " unless a cut shoulder is a guaranteed fatal blow."  
  
" It is when the cut is made by a poisoned blade," Sephiroth explained, bursting into maniacal laughter upon finishing the sentence. Lucius felt the flesh around the cut start to burn. He cringed painfully, but refused to give Sephiroth the pleasure of knowing that his underhanded tactics had worked. His Mako blood should have protected him from the poison, but this poison came from a source older and much more powerful than Mako.  
  
' Gavial,' Lucius cried out silently with his mind, ' I need you.' All at once, Lucius felt his body tremble violently. His hand went to his wounded shoulder, dropping one of his swords. He gritted his teeth against the pain but it did no good to lessen the feeling.  
  
" Go down, mongrel," Sephiroth taunted, " and die by your mother's poison." He and Basil laughed mockingly as Lucius clutched the walls for support. Sephiroth sauntered over to Lucius and shoved him to the ground, laughing all the while.  
  
" Don't you think we should have some kind of trophy for this moment," Basil suggested.  
  
" An excellent idea," Sephiroth agreed. He reached down and tore the bloody sleeve from Lucius's shirt and picked up one of his swords. " These will be great souvenirs to show that mother of yours," he taunted, " I can just imagine the look on her face when we tell her that her only son is dead and we have his sword and his bloody sleeve to prove it."  
  
" You bastard," Lucius wheezed. He was growing weaker by the second, his young body being more receptive to Chiyupakabara's poison than Sephiroth's. Sephiroth, out of pure spite, struck Lucius across the face. The blow stung fiercely and sent Lucius rolling.  
  
" Jenova's bastard to you, boy," Sephiroth mocked as he followed Basil down the passageway, just barely missing Rufus, and out of the cave.  
  
Rufus didn't risk venturing out until he was sure that Sephiroth and Basil were gone. When that time came, he rushed over to Lucius an scooped the boy up in his arms. Rufus immediately noticed how light the boy was. Lucius groaned painfully.  
  
" Who are you," Lucius asked slowly, his voice barely more than a whisper. Rufus pressed his fingers to the boy's throat. His pulse was weakening.  
  
" My name's Rufus," he explained, " I'm here to help." Lucius closed his eyes and mumbled something that Rufus couldn't discern. " What," Rufus asked. Lucius tried to repeat himself.  
  
" Black dragon," he stammered. He was cut off by a fit of coughing. Rufus didn't know what Lucius meant by 'black dragon,' but they couldn't stand around waiting until he figured it out. Sephiroth and Basil could return at any moment. Rufus carried Lucius out of the cave, but before he could reach his chocobo a huge, looming shape appeared above them. After the shape had landed, Rufus could see that it was a giant, black dragon. The dragon moved her head so that she was eye to eye with Rufus.  
  
" Gavial," Lucius whispered from Rufus's arms. The dragon nuzzled Lucius's head lovingly. Lucius reached out and laid a hand on Gavial's muzzle. Gavial responded by turning her great, green gaze to Rufus and giving him a questioning look.  
  
" I won't hurt you or your friend here," Rufus tried to explain, not sure how to address the dragon, " I want to help." Gavial snorted, but she seemed satisfied. She started to shift her body as if preparing for something. Before Rufus knew what she was doing, Gavial had picked him and Lucius up and dropped them on her back. Gavial unfolded her pinions.  
  
" Hold on to something," Lucius admonished softly. Rufus grabbed a hold of one of Gavial's spines just as she beat her powerful wings and rose into the air. He tried to see where they were going but Gavial was flying at a speed fast enough to sting his eyes if they were open too far.  
  
The next thing Rufus knew, they had landed in a cavern of some kind. Rufus was thrown off balance from the force of the landing. He fell, landing on his back in the sand. Surprisingly, Lucius stayed sprawled over Gavial's back. The dragon nudged him with her snout. Very slowly, his hands grasped the curling antlers protruding from the back of Gavial's skull. She tenderly lifted him onto her crown. She carried him across the cavern, letting out a bellow that echoed throughout the whole mountain. She sounded mournful.  
* * * Aeris leapt up at the sound of Gavial's roar. She sprinted down the tunnel to Gavial's quarters. Gavial stood with her head held low enough for Aeris to see the still body of Lucius supported by the dragon's head. Aeris dragged Lucius from Gavial's head and held him in her arms. He was limp, pale, and his breath came in shallow gasps.  
  
" Lucius," Aeris tried, " what happened to you?" Then Aeris noticed the man Gavial had brought with her. At first she was sure that her eyes were deceiving her, that somehow she was seeing things. She wasn't. Rufus looked back at her with an expression of equal perplexity. Aeris reminded herself that Lucius needed her help, though she had no idea what was wrong with him.  
  
" What is this place," Rufus asked. Aeris stared at him.  
  
" The caves of Mt. Nibel," she replied, " do you know what happened to Lucius?"  
  
" Sephiroth cut him with a poisoned blade," Rufus explained. Aeris examined Lucius's shoulder, noticing the injury there. The cut stretched all the way across his arm, but it wasn't very deep. It had stopped bleeding and was starting to show signs of infection.  
  
" How long ago was this cut made," Aeris asked, still examining the wound.  
  
" About an hour," Rufus guessed. Aeris motioned for Rufus to follow her. She carried Lucius with her down a tunnel into a dimly lit room. The room was mostly empty, except for some weapons, a lamp, a collection of satchels hanging on pegs driven into the walls, and a bed of furs. Aeris laid Lucius down on the bed. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be in a deep sleep.  
  
" I know it's here somewhere," Aeris mumbled to herself as she began picking through the bags on the walls.  
  
" Can you save him," Rufus asked, sitting beside Lucius and feeling his cold forehead.  
  
" I'm not sure," Aeris replied.  
* * * Shivra mounted her chocobo and waited for the others to do the same. Zack climbed onto Anubis's back slowly. His body still hurt from his ordeal with Sephiroth, but he was recovering. Yuffie seemed to lag behind. Shivra noticed this and trotted over to her.  
  
" What's the matter," Shivra asked. Yuffie scowled back, but didn't answer. " You're angry that I didn't save Reno," Shivra implicated.  
  
" You sat there and watched him die," Yuffie snapped.  
  
" You are mad that I couldn't save him," Shivra confirmed.  
  
" No, I'm upset that you didn't try to save him," Yuffie yelled. Shivra could see what Yuffie was getting at. She let go of her chocobo's reins at set her hand on the horn of the saddle.  
  
" I can't make you believe me," she started, " but try to understand that just because I have powers that you've never seen before doesn't mean I can keep people from dying. If I could have saved Reno then I would have. I can't convince you to see through my point of view and I can't change what is meant to happen."  
  
" But, you didn't even try," Yuffie protested, her voice cracking.  
  
" Did you have something for Reno, and this is why you're so upset," Shivra asked bluntly.  
  
" No," Yuffie shot with vehemence, " but what if it was one of us in his place? Would you just let them die too?"  
  
" Everyone has a limit to their powers. You have your limits, people like me have their limits, even people like Sephiroth have limits," Shivra admonished, " we have to learn to accept what we cannot accomplish. Maybe someday you will stop some one from dying and prove me wrong, but until then I suggest you place this hate of yours were it is due." Yuffie fell silent. " I'm sorry if I've upset you," Shivra apologized.  
  
" It's none of your blame," Yuffie forgave, " I should be hating Sephiroth not you." Shivra nodded slightly, acknowledging Yuffie's apology.  
  
" I am sorry that I couldn't save Reno," she comforted as she goaded Osiris into a trot, " but it does no good to dwell on past misfortune."  
  
" Where are we going now," Cloud asked, coming up beside Shivra on his own chocobo.  
  
" To search for my son," Shivra replied.  
  
" You may want to give up on that and find a mourning site," a voice from the rise ahead of them taunted. They all looked up to see two black chocobos perched at the top of the hill. They recognized Sephiroth, who was the one that had spoken, but the man on the chocobo at his side was unknown to them. None of them had ever seen him before.  
  
" What do you mean 'a mourning site,'" Cloud demanded. Shivra just stared at Sephiroth. Somehow he had escaped Chiyupakabara's poison. The poison was fatal within two hours once it hit the bloodstream, give or take up to twenty minutes depending on the size of the person. The man beside Sephiroth rode his chocobo slowly toward them. He stopped about four feet in front of Shivra's chocobo. She studied him skeptically. He grinned evilly and held up a bundle.  
  
" He means this," the man replied tossing it to Shivra then turning and riding back up to Sephiroth. Shivra caught the bundle and unwrapped it. The fabric wrapped around Lucius's sword was bloody.  
  
" Doesn't your son wear that kind of clothing," Sephiroth jeered, " and use that kind of sword." Shivra felt her heart skip a beat. Something bad happening to Lucius? The very idea froze her heart.  
  
" What have you done with Lucius," Shivra demanded.  
  
" Don't worry about him," Sephiroth mocked, " you'll never see him again anyway so just forget about him." All eyes were on Shivra. She clutched the fabric in her hand, the fabric drenched in her son's blood. Suddenly she let out a cry like a wounded beast and sank against her chocobo's back, screaming.  
  
" God damn you, Sephiroth," she wailed, " you've taken the only worthwhile person in my life away! Damn you! Damn you to the fires of Hell and Damnation!" Shivra's body suddenly flashed, a powerful light erupting from the fibers of her flesh and collecting above her in a cloud of light shards. The shards took the form of a woman with long, tangled, black hair and burning red eyes. She was clothed in a tattered white gown. Her hands were like the claws of a beast, her feet bare as one who walked through life with no need of shoes. Sephiroth recognized her as a creature he had seen once in one of Hojo's reports. She was a Banshee.  
  
" Holy shit," Barret stammered.  
  
" Fulfill my cries, Incarnation of the Air and the Fire, destroy them," Shivra lamented. The Banshee charged at Sephiroth and Basil, screaming at a pitch deadly to mortal ears. All but Shivra vainly covered their ears to shut out the mournful sound. Sephiroth kicked his chocobo hard, trying to make it go. Basil did the same. Both chocobos, frightened by the Banshee and startled by the kicks, floundered, unseating their riders. Sephiroth and Basil both went down, scrambling to escape the Banshee's defining screams. She came at Basil, who was nearest, first. He cried out as the Banshee's claw-like fingers raked his face. Sephiroth tried to defend his friend but the Banshee then turned on him, clawing him unmercifully. He finally gave up and tried to flee. The Banshee lost interest in him and turned to Basil once more. She latched onto Basil, her nails tearing his flesh like paper. He screamed again, weaker this time. Sephiroth charged the Banshee again this time with his sword, trying to fend her away from Basil, who lay curled in an unmoving, bloody heap on the ground. Sephiroth fought against the Banshee frantically for she was racking him with her claws, drawing small gushes of blood with every swipe. The Banshee struck Sephiroth in the face, sending him sprawling backwards. She then flew at him, aiming for a killing blow. Basil summoned the last of his strength and threw himself at Sephiroth, intercepting the Banshee's blow. He let forth a gargled shriek and fell to the ground beside Sephiroth where he lay still.  
  
" Basil!" Sephiroth yelled his friend's name but received no answer. More out of fury than will, he made one last strike at the Banshee and succeeded in hitting her. She flew back and screeched more in rage than hurt. Sephiroth gathered Basil in his arms and leapt onto his chocobo's back. He spurred the beast, hoping that the Banshee wouldn't catch them. But when he looked back, the Banshee was not following him. Basil moaned from the safety of Sephiroth's arms. His body was deeply cut from the Banshee's claws. His blood staining Sephiroth's clothes.  
* * * " Enough, Anema," Shivra commanded. The Banshee stopped and hovered beside her summoner. " Go now, you've done well," Shivra ordered. They all watched Anema's body slowly descend toward Shivra. The two collided and their physical bodies joined, forming one body again. Shivra dismounted and fell to the ground sobbing. Her long hair veiling her face from view. Cloud approached her cautiously. She slowly lifted her head and stared at him. Tears streamed down her face.  
  
" What was that," Cloud asked. Shivra hung her head again.  
  
" That was Anema, the Banshee," she explained slowly, " a summon born from the one that summons her. A fierce emotion such as pain or grief is needed to cal her, otherwise it doesn't work." Cloud contemplated this new information.  
  
" So everyone has a Banshee within," Cloud asked.  
  
" In a way," Shivra answered. An awkward silence descended. Nobody was sure how to comfort Shivra in her time of dire loss.  
  
" I'm sorry about Lucius," Cloud tried to comfort after the long pause. Shivra felt the tears as they trailed down her face.  
  
" I've been hurt like this so many times in my life you'd think I'd be used to it by now," she retorted, " first having to leave my home, then having all those tests done to me, losing Rufus and my humanity, and now," her voice broke, " now I've lost Lucius, too."  
  
" I didn't realize how much suffering you've been through," Cloud responded. Shivra met his gaze.  
  
" To bear Jenova's mark destroys much in a person," Shivra reciprocated drawing herself up and putting her arms around her knees, " So few can escape its terrible grip on destiny. It always hits your vision first, and not just your physical vision, but the way you see things. That's why our eyes become forever scarred with its mako coloring. After a long while, it drains you of all your emotions, except for hate. In the end you become a mindless puppet that can only hate and despise the world." Cloud thought on this for a while, realizing how true it was. So many who were exposed to mako went insane.  
  
Shivra continued her analogy, " ShinRa wanted to create the perfect soldier, in the end they only strengthened the harsh reality that the weak cannot survive without the aid of the strong. But their experiments rendered the weak utterly helpless to the mako, even with the help of the strong. Sephiroth went crazy because he wasn't strong enough mentally to cope with the reality of mako injections. I didn't want that for Lucius. I sought to protect him from Sephiroth and the poison that mako pollutes destiny with..." Shivra's trailed off. Cloud and the others were stunned. She could stand down Sephiroth but she too was vulnerable to her emotion. It was rapidly changing their impression of her as a heartless shell.  
  
" Damn Jenova and her poison," Shivra finished, wiping her eyes.  
  
" What will you do now," Yuffie asked. Shivra vaulted onto Osiris's back and seized the reins. Cloud also re-mounted.  
  
" I go to Mideel," Shivra answered, " something there calls me. I hear it like a distant cry for help. Perhaps it's Rufus calling me, or maybe I just feel like jumping into the lifestream. If Lucius really is dead then I have nothing left."  
  
" You might never come back if you jump into the lifestream," Tifa protested.  
  
" I appreciate your concern," Shivra thanked, " but... oh why do I bother? I'm not good at coming up with reasons for what I do. I've always been that way. I do what I want, always have and probably always will. Rufus once said that I was like a wildfire, uncontrollable and without restriction. I suppose I tend to live up to the name." Cloud couldn't help but smile at Shivra's words. Cid chuckled at Cloud's smile.  
  
" Don't get attracted to her Cloud," he teased, " you're both taken." Cloud tried to slug Cid but he missed and ended up toppling off his chocobo. Even the deeply wounded Shivra laughed at this.  
  
" You are rather clumsy for someone infused with mako," Shivra observed, leaning back in the saddle, " I must say I'm going to miss all of you. Even though I've only known you for a few days. None of you have to come with me if you don't want to, I have a premonition that this expedition is only going to get more hazardous."  
  
" You've got a weird vocabulary, Shivra," Barret commented, " you use words I've only seen in a dictionary."  
  
" I don't think her terminology is so peculiar," Nanaki protested.  
  
" No wonder," Barret countered, " your vocabulary is just as confusing. You and your words like 'Peculiar' and 'Terminology' it's driving me up the wall and down the other side. How are we supposed to work together if we all can't understand each other?"  
  
" You're the only one who doesn't understand, Barret," Yuffie sniped.  
  
" I don't need no fancy-ass words to fight my battles, just give me some bullets and all the enemies are goin' down," Barret boasted. Shivra laughed. It was a laugh of pure amusement. Barret had never heard a laugh quite like it before. It was very deep and somewhat masculine to his hearing. It bubbled in her throat, kind of the way that Sephiroth laughed but her voice held less malice. Nevertheless, it made her seem somehow darker. It dripped black ink onto the mental picture of her that each of Cloud's group held in their heads.  
  
" Did that scare you too, Tifa," Yuffie whispered.  
  
" You're not the first to be frightened by my twitter," Shivra reassured.  
  
" There you go with those big words again," Barret complained.  
  
" Would you rather I use ignoramus, simpleton, or just plain dumbass to describe your knowledge of language," Shivra provoked. Nanaki, who knew the definitions for all of those words, laughed so hard he started rolling on the ground. " What other words could we use, Nanaki," Shivra baited.  
  
" Dullard," he added.  
  
" Bungler." " Vapid."  
  
" Insipid."  
  
" Fatuous."  
  
" Asinine."  
  
" All right, all right," Barret cut off, " all these big words are making my head hurt."  
  
" You sound like Cloud when you do that," Yuffie added.  
  
" You all are so... so..." Barret couldn't finish his sentence.  
  
" Obnoxious," Shivra tried.  
  
" Exasperating," Nanaki added.  
  
" Irksome?"  
  
" Vexatious?"  
  
" Tedious?"  
  
" Aggravating?"  
  
" Stop using those big words," Barret raged, " you're making me crazy!"  
  
" Come on, Barret," Cloud droned, " even I can understand what they're saying."  
  
" And he is kind of below average intelligence," Yuffie added. This sent everyone, with the exception of Barret, into a frenzy of wild laughter. Once everyone had calmed down, Shivra prepared to speak again, but was interrupted by Barret.  
  
" My mother used to say, 'If you don't got nothin' nice to say then don't say nothing at all,'" Barret interjected. Shivra couldn't help but wonder if Barret had learned to speak from his mother.  
  
" I was going to say that I have vastly enjoyed meeting with all of you," Shivra picked up, she turned to Zack, " you're my little brother, but I can't make you follow me. Your life is your own, do what you will with it. Just remember that I love you." Zack was caught of guard.  
  
" I love you too, sis," he returned, " I want to stay with you."  
  
" I'm going into the Lifestream," Shivra protested, " you've still got Aeris to take care of." Zack hung his head in defeat. " I brought her back for you so you would have someone to be with when I'm gone," Shivra put a hand on Zack's shoulder, " maybe I'll come back someday. You never know what creek the Lifestream will float you down, so chin up and be happy. There's air to breathe and lands to walk, now go enjoy it while it's out there." Zack smiled and returned Shivra's gesture.  
  
" I'll miss you," he said mournfully but with hope in his eyes.  
  
" And I you," Shivra returned, " go back to our home and do what you see fit with it." Shivra broke away and rode Osiris to the top of the hill, " all of you." Then she disappeared over the hill in the direction of Mideel. 


	5. Blood Debts

All That's Evil by Semdai  
  
Chapter Four : Desperate Times and Desperate Measures  
  
Sephiroth cradled Basil's head in his arms. Basil moaned weakly, but otherwise didn't respond. Sephiroth cursed himself for his failure to protect his friend.  
  
Basil's wounds were very serious. His body had been badly gored by the Banshee, Anema. His eyes, mercifully, had escaped Anema's tearing claws. The rest of him hadn't been so lucky. Several of Basil's organs were damaged, including his stomach, lungs, and intestines. Sephiroth balled his hands into fists, hands soiled by Basil's blood. No death he had ever witnessed in his life before had pained him. But, Basil's suffering anguished him more than any torment he had ever suffered in his life. More than when Cloud had thrown him into the lifestream so many years ago. More than when Avalanche had defeated him and stopped Meteor.  
  
It pained him because he had never seen a friend writhe in the agony that Basil suffered now. Nothing he had ever witnessed before could compare with this. With the sight of Basil's frail and scrawny body gored deeply, bone and flesh alike torn to shreds.  
  
" Sephiroth..." Basil coughed weakly. Sephiroth went down on his knees before Basil.  
  
" Basil," he cried, " speak to me." Basil groped blindly for his friend. Sephiroth took Basil's hand which was cut and bloody.  
  
" I think... I'm dying..." Basil moaned.  
  
" No, Basil, no," Sephiroth protested, " you can't die now. You're still young. You've got your whole life ahead of you."  
  
" It's okay, Sephiroth," Basil reassured, " I don't mind dying, as long as you're here with me. You're the best friend I've ever had." Sephiroth was caught off guard by Basil's words. Nobody in the world cared about him like Basil did.  
  
" You're the only friend I have in the world," he sobbed, " please don't die, Basil." Sephiroth was shocked to hear himself beg like this, but he couldn't help it. Basil's eyes opened slowly. Sephiroth could see the tears welling up inside them.  
  
" We all die sooner or later," Basil murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.  
  
" I promise you this, Basil," Sephiroth swore, " I will make Shivra pay for what she has done to you." Basil's grip on Sephiroth's hand tightened.  
  
" It doesn't matter," he relinquished.  
  
" Yes it does, Basil," Sephiroth insisted, " she has to pay for this!"  
  
" There's something...I have to ask you... before I go," Basil started.  
  
" Yes?" Sephiroth answered eagerly.  
  
" Did you ever...kill a man...named Tseng?" Sephiroth was confused. He did remember the day he had killed Tseng, only because it hadn't been very long ago.  
  
" Yes," he repeated, " why?" Basil closed his eyes.  
  
" Because..." Basil paused, " he was... my older brother..." Sephiroth was dumbfounded.  
  
Suddenly, Basil began to cough, swallowing the small gushes of blood that his body regurgitated as he did so. Sephiroth leapt to his feet and cradled Basil in his arms. Basil's body shuddered violently. He let out a small gasp. His eyes rolled up in his head. He gripped Sephiroth's wrist tightly. Sephiroth held him until his body relaxed, then he buried his face in Basil's blood-clotted hair and began to cry for the first time in his life, ashamed for the first time about having killed someone. ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Lucius slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in his room, lying on his bed. Aeris stood over him, examining his wounds.  
  
" I see that you're awake," she observed, tying the bandage on his arm.  
  
" How long have I been out," Lucius asked.  
  
" Several hours," Aeris replied, " Gavial brought you and another person here this morning. You were unconscious. You're really lucky you know, another hour and you'd probably be dead." Lucius tried to remember how he had gotten out of Sephiroth's cave.  
  
" Who was with me when Gavial brought me here," he asked.  
  
" You really should rest," Aeris insisted. Lucius sat up defiantly.  
  
" I gotta check on Gavial," he asserted, getting up. Aeris didn't move to stop him.  
  
Lucius gripped the wall for support as he made his way toward Shivra's room. Rufus was there standing in front of the space that Shivra had carved out of the wall to make a desk. He noticed Lucius as soon as the boy entered the room. Rufus picked up a photograph from the desk. It was a picture of Shivra, Zack, and Lucius. In the picture, Lucius was holding a baby dragon. Shivra and Zack were behind him. They all were smiling.  
  
" For two years the only thing I've been able to dream about is the woman in this picture," Rufus said quietly, " her face haunts my dreams like some memory that I'm supposed to know but can't remember." Lucius came up beside Rufus.  
  
" That's my family about five years ago," Lucius explained, " the woman behind me in the picture is my mother."  
  
" And the man next to her," Rufus asked, " is he your father?"  
  
" No," Lucius explained, " he's my uncle. I don't know my father."  
  
" You've never met him," Rufus asked. Lucius shook his head.  
  
" My mother had to leave him before I was born," Lucius clarified, " We planned to go back and find him when I was older, but he disappeared about two years ago."  
  
" You're really lucky," Rufus started, " I have no memory of my parents or where I grew up. I've lived for two years with this scar and I don't know what it means." Rufus pulled back his hair and showed Lucius the scar that ran across his head.  
  
" Don't worry, Rufus," Lucius comforted, " I think I know who you are." ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Zack pressed his chocobo on. He pulled to the head of the group. Cloud called to Zack, asking him to slow down, but Zack was lost in his thoughts. Cloud spurred his bird, soon pulling in front of Zack.  
  
" What's the matter with you," he demanded, forcing Zack to halt his chocobo. Tifa brought her bird up beside Cloud. The others formed a semi- circle around Zack.  
  
" I'm fine," Zack insisted, " I've just got a lot on my mind."  
  
" You can tell us, Zack," Tifa vented.  
  
" I said I'm fine," Zack persisted.  
  
" That's bullshit, and we all know it," Tifa retaliated. Cloud looked astounded with Tifa's outburst. She almost never spoke like that. Zack backed his chocobo up slowly and hung his head.  
  
" I was just thinking about Lucius, how we used to laugh and joke around while we trained our chocobos out on the plains. Those were the times, before he started to have the flashes."  
  
" What kind of flashes," Vincent asked. He seemed fairly interested in Zack's tale even though it was very unlike his usual attitude.  
  
" It started as just dreams, nightmares that made him wake up in cold sweat. He said he was dreaming about a giant winged creature tearing its way out of his body. At first we thought it was just bad dreams since he was only about four years old, but then he started seeing things in the daylight. His brain made him relive his dreams during the day, making them even more frightening or so he said," Zack explained. Vincent furrowed his brow and sighed deeply.  
  
" What's wrong, Vincent," Cloud asked. Vincent looked up.  
  
" Just thinking," he replied, " about my past." ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Sephiroth pocketed two materia orbs as he slipped into the caves. He had only been there once before, but he was confident that he could find his way. After all, who needs a guide when anger is your fuel. Sephiroth made his way carefully through the passages that he concluded had been recently used. He came out in a large cavern which contained, much to Sephiroth's surprise, an enormous creature partially submerged in a pool of water. Sephiroth did not know that the giant, sleeping dragon before him was Gavial, if he had things might have gone down a totally different road than they did. For a moment, Sephiroth considered stopping to kill the dragon, but then he remembered his motives and decided it would be better not to provoke the sleeping beast and continued on his way.  
  
Gavial was not a stupid dragon. She had not at all been asleep during the time that Sephiroth spent in her presence. She had chosen to remain quiet and under the impression that she had been sleeping. After Sephiroth's departure, Gavial lifted her wet body out of the water and moved to block the exit out of the caves. ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Sephiroth listened carefully at the entrance of the cave. He could hear sounds inside, someone humming while they cleaned. He stole a glance inside the cave and grinned when he recognized Aeris. Sephiroth wasted no time. He dashed inside and apprehended Aeris from behind. She let out a scream as he overtook her. A scream that echoed throughout the mountain. ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ " Aeris," Lucius gasped. He spun on his heel and bolted for the door, grabbing a random weapon off the wall as he passed it. Rufus ran after him. Lucius grinned to himself when he noticed that the weapon he had grabbed was his shamshir, a light and deadly sword. The two came to the source of the scream and found Sephiroth with Aeris in tow. Lucius felt his blood boil.  
  
" Lucius," Aeris cried, " help me!" " You again," Sephiroth growled, " how many lives do you have?"  
  
" Enough to last me until the day you die," Lucius hissed. Sephiroth snorted.  
  
" I'm afraid I can't play with you know, boy," he taunted, " I have somewhere I have to be."  
  
" Don't tell me the Great Sephiroth is afraid of a child," Lucius baited, " what would you say to that, Rufus?"  
  
" Pussy," Rufus jeered.  
  
" That won't work with me," Sephiroth reminded, " and it would be a pleasure to bring back your head as a souvenir, but like I said I don't have the time."  
  
" Excuses," Lucius snorted.  
  
" I'll give you my parting words then," Sephiroth decided. Whatever Sephiroth's parting words were, they never found out. Because at that moment Gavial appeared behind Sephiroth and roared a challenge. The next moment was chaos. Sephiroth didn't bother to look behind him or add another comment to the conversation. He simply vanished, without a trace. Gavial snorted and roared in confusion.  
  
" Shit," Lucius cursed. ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________ " What do want with me," Aeris demanded as Sephiroth shoved her inside a cave. She looked around the cave to see that it was inhabited. Sephiroth pushed her toward a bed-like structure. Aeris covered her mouth with her hands at the sight of the man lying on the bed. He was mangled and bloody and didn't seem to be alive at all, save for the erratic rise and fall of his chest.  
  
" I want you to help him," Sephiroth said coldly, placing a hand on the injured man's forehead.  
  
" Who did this," Aeris asked as she tried to settle her stomach and study the man before her. He seemed to be in his early twenties, his tawny hair was short and bloody. One of his ears had a piece missing and his clothes were ripped and torn. His eyes were closed so she couldn't tell what color they were.  
  
" Shivra did this," Sephiroth seethed, " and I want you to undo it." Aeris was confused. Sephiroth didn't care about anyone, so why did he want her to save this man? And why had Shivra done this? Was Sephiroth even telling her the truth?  
  
" I don't know if I can," Aeris stammered as she began to examine the wounds. They were deep and serious. The sight made her sick. " These wounds are very serious." The look Sephiroth gave her then made her cringe in fear. " I'll do what I can." 


	6. Rufus And The Red Chocobo

All That's Evil By Semdai Bloodquill  
  
Chapter Five : Rufus and the Red Chocobo  
  
Throughout the near seven years of his life, Lucius had encountered few occasions where he lost his considerable temper and hit something, either with his fist or his sword. In his current state of mind, he would have been happy to hit someone, but the only someone he had contact with was Rufus. And because Rufus had played no part in the arousal of Lucius's temper, the breaking of one of his weaker bones would give no satisfaction to the irked boy.  
  
Lucius wasn't angry that Aeris was in Sephiroth's hands, although he knew Zack would be when he got back. Nor was he irked that his dragon had unwillingly chased Sephiroth away before they were able to resume their sparring. No, the source of the boy's anger was due to how well Sephiroth had infiltrated the mountain sanctuary so effortlessly. The man was cunning, Lucius would admit grudgingly, but that only made him more agitated.  
  
Rufus wasn't exactly sure what to do in response to the boy he had come to respect. He wanted to say something to try and bring up Lucius's spirits, but fear of the boy's eager fists and hungry sword held his tongue in silence.  
  
" I'm not mad at you," Lucius stated as clearly as if he had read Rufus's thoughts, a feat that seemed not beyond the amazing boy's abilities.  
  
" Did you read my mind," Rufus pressed, not liking the possibility of his mental privacy being desecrated. The strange boy shrugged and shifted from his seat against the wall.  
  
Brushing the dust from his clothes, Lucius said, " No, my mom's the mind reader of the family." A string was pulled somewhere deep in Rufus's hidden thoughts.  
  
" Then how did you know what I was thinking," he asked, waving the unsure feeling that he had some deeper connection to Lucius away. Lucius did look an awful lot like a reflection of himself.  
  
" Because," Lucius explained, letting his head tilt to the left as he spoke, " when I see you, I feel like I'm on the opposite side of a mirror looking at my original image," he stopped momentarily to let Rufus contemplate his words before continuing, " so then I figured that since you weren't speaking, either you were being polite or I intimidated you. Also I can tell by the way your eyes dart when you're contemplating."  
  
" How old are you again," Rufus exclaimed with feigned exasperation. Lucius laughed.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Basil felt terrible. His back hurt. His head hurt. His stomach hurt. Everything hurt. He reached up with his left hand to touch his head, but instead of feeling flesh on flesh he felt bandages on bandages. Most of his arm was covered in thick gauze and he couldn't feel any of the skin on his forehead. When he tried to sit up, a spasm of pain shot through his body and forced him back down. His vision swirled in a hazy collage of color. A hand appeared before him, gently holding him down.  
  
" How do ya feel, Basil," Sephiroth asked his friend. Basil couldn't clearly see Sephiroth's face but he could tell from the change in the haze where his friend was. He reached out for the hand, which rested on his bandaged chest.  
  
" Not so good," Basil groaned. Sephiroth placed his other hand on Basil's forehead.  
  
" You're gonna be fine," he assured, " I won't let you die like this." Basil smiled softly in spite of himself.  
  
" What happened to me," he asked. Sephiroth took his time in replying.  
  
" You were banged up pretty bad," he strained.  
  
" Could I have been banged up ugly bad," Basil jested, trying to make Sephiroth feel better. Though Basil couldn't see it, Sephiroth smiled.  
  
" You need to rest, Basil," he advised, smoothing the young man's brown hair. As if on command, Basil let his head fall to the side and slowly closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell with new-found strength under Sephiroth's hand, comforted by the presence of his powerful guardian angel. Sephiroth smiled at his companion's peaceful sleep.  
  
" He will heal now, I think," Aeris stated from several feet behind Sephiroth. She shifted nervously, afraid of what might happen to her now that she was no longer needed. But, Sephiroth ignored her and continued his silent, self-appointed vigil over Basil.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Osiris warked a warning just before monster leapt at them. Instinct wanted Shivra to roll away from the attack, but because she was mounted her only choices were to pull rein and fight or jump. She choose the latter. Osiris turned sharply and nearly toppled into the monster's attack when Shivra sprang from his back. The black chocobo dug his claws into the ground to halt his movement. Shivra rolled back and sprung to her feet, drawing a curving scimitar from her belt and slashing it at the monster as she did so.  
  
The red blade caught the sunlight and made it sparkle with surrealistic light, and alerting Shivra and her startled bird of the reinforcements hiding in the foliage. All the monsters screamed at the dazzling light. A second blade appeared in Shivra's opposite hand, this one was a beautifully crafted saber. Its blade was black, but it shimmered with the colors of a rainbow. The handle was crafted in the form of a blue dragon's hand and the pommel was made of the dragon's fingers grasping a stunning ruby. This saber that was called Severpaw moved in a semi-circle about its wielder, its partner, the scimitar Fengshue, moving at Shivra's back in perfect harmony with the powerful saber. The brush around Shivra erupted with movement as the entire pack, about twelve mantis-like monsters, attacked in unison. Severpaw spun one way and Fengshue spun the other as Shivra began her dance.  
  
Leaping left, whirling right, feigning center, spinning back, slashing up, ducking down, parrying forward, they were all part of Shivra's motions. Within minutes, all the monsters lay in bits and pieces, carpeting the forest floor in blood and gore. Shivra wiped Severpaw's blade on a nearby bush before sheathing the saber. She cleaned Fengshue on the same bush, making the black dragon engraved on the red blade visible again. The eye- like gemstones in the pommel and hand-guard glinted in the sunlight. She sheathed the scimitar and went to retrieve Osiris.  
  
The black chocobo returned to his rider and knelt down so she could mount. Shivra vaulted onto her bird's back and seized the reins. She goaded Osiris toward the northern edge of the forest.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Rufus reached out tentatively for the chocobo's beak. He looked back at Lucius for support. He'd seen this particular chocobo earlier out in the field attacking one of the other chocobos with its long talons and driving any who opposed it away. Lucius made no movements from his perch atop his own chocobo, Masaaki. Rufus turned back to the chocobo before him.  
  
She stood well over his head, built and bred for unmatched speed and stamina. Her crimson red feathers were ruffled threateningly at the sight of Rufus, making the bird seem very intimidating.  
  
" Get her by the halter," Lucius instructed, " then clip on the reins and hop up as fast as you can." Rufus took a deep breath and stepped closer to the red chocobo. The bird's head shot forward, striking Rufus hard in the chest and knocking him back several feet.  
  
" What's her problem," Rufus asked, rubbing his chest where a nasty bruise was forming.  
  
" Phaestus here," Lucius indicated the red bird, " belongs to my mom and doesn't usually take to strangers too well."  
  
" Can't I ride a different bird," Rufus asked.  
  
Lucius shook his head, swishing his orange-red hair from side to side across his face as he did so, and replied, " Phaestus is the only chocobo we've got that can match Masaaki here," he stroked his mount's inky black feathers with admiration, " and we don't have a whole lot of time to spare."  
  
" I see," Rufus relented. He mustered his courage and approached Phaestus again. This time he reached out quickly and managed to catch the bird's halter.  
  
" Pull her head down," Lucius instructed, " she can't get you if her head is pinned and she'll have no choice but to kneel for you." Rufus took heed and forced a struggling Phaestus to kneel so that he could mount. Lucius offered Rufus the reins, which were promptly clipped to the red bird's halter. Reined and mounted, Phaestus could do little to dislodge her rider and grudgingly accepted the burden.  
  
" Made it in one piece," Rufus sighed. Lucius said nothing but offered a smile of respect to the man who had bested his mother's wild mount. He turned Masaaki and trotted out into the field, pausing only briefly to wait for Rufus before letting his chocobo take off in a southern direction.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Osiris followed the coastline toward the shallower portion of the small sea that separated them from their destination. The thin stretch of sea that was accessible to the black chocobo came into sight several yards ahead of them. They made for it.  
  
Shivra pulled her legs up onto Osiris's back as they charged into the surf. Water sprayed in all direction as the black chocobo's powerful legs pumped, propelling them forward through the surf.  
  
" I am coming..."  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
The rarity of a red chocobo was great enough that Cloud and his party had only seen one at the chocobo races at the Gold Saucer. Naturally it came as a surprise to them when a black chocobo, which wasn't an uncommon sight to them given their knowledge of breeding the birds, and a crimson feathered red chocobo, its rider looking as if it was ready to be unseated at any moment, crested the ridge before them. Zack all but toppled off Anubis's back from shock when he recognized the black chocobo's rider.  
  
" Lucius," he yelled to the boy. The others looked at him quizzically. The black chocobo charged down the hill and came to a stop several feet in front of the party. Cloud and his friends, with the exception of Zack and Nanaki, gasped at the sight of the boy mounted atop the ebony colored bird. Before them was a perfect mirror image of Rufus ShinRa, only much younger and baring an air of wisdom and experience which they had not known in the presence of Rufus.  
  
" Hi Zack," Lucius replied to his uncle's previous greeting.  
  
" I thought you were dead," Zack marveled, relieved that the statement was not so.  
  
" Not quite," Lucius assured, his azure eyes slowly studying his uncle's companions.  
  
" Everyone," Zack turned to his friends and gestured toward the boy, " this is my nephew, Lucius." A frustrated yell turned their attention back to the ridge where the red chocobo was trying to unseat its rider.  
  
" Grab her crest feathers," Lucius yelled to the red chocobo's rider, who willingly obeyed and was awarded temporary control of his wild mount. Lucius grinned as the red chocobo trotted back down to stand beside him, drawing shocked gasps from everybody present, except for Lucius.  
  
" Rufus ShinRa?!" The surprised cries came from so many mouths that Rufus was startled and toppled over the back of the red chocobo. The bird tried to bolt but Lucius now held the reins in his hand.  
  
" No, Phaestus," the boy said firmly. Cowed by the son of her master, Phaestus dropped her gaze to the ground and waited. " Mom would be disappointed in you, Phaestus," Lucius continued, " trying to ditch your rider even after he bested you." Phaestus hung her head in shame.  
  
If the sight of Lucius scolding the chocobo like a strict mother had been comical in any way, the humor had been lost in the shock of Cloud's party seeing their foe alive and well after two years of being presumed dead. Rufus was very perturbed by the apparent fact that these people knew him when he did not know them. Lucius could tell that his companion was unsettled by more than just his fall.  
  
" You all right, Rufus," Lucius asked his companion, trying to divert the stares of the others.  
  
" Fine," Rufus grumbled, brushing dirt off his clothes as he stood, " damn bird."  
  
" How did you survive," Cloud demanded. Rufus might have had a sign taped to forehead saying, ' huh?' so perplexed was his expression. Cloud continued, " When Diamond blew up the tower." Obviously he hoped that the meager specification would help when in actuality it only made Rufus more confused.  
  
" I really don't know what you're talking about," Rufus admitted. Cloud was unconvinced.  
  
" What do you mean," he demanded almost angrily, " the glow in your eyes proves you're Rufus ShinRa," at this point he unsheathed a very large sword, " and that makes you an enemy!"  
  
" Cloud, wait," Zack yelled, staying the blonde man's hand, " give the man a minute to explain himself."  
  
" Show them your mark," Lucius advised, " I think that scar is the reason you don't know what they are saying." Rufus brushed the hair away from his face and showed them the remnant of the wound that had taken his memories, his own constant reminder of how little he really knew about himself.  
  
" I honestly don't know where this scar came from but I've had it ever since I washed up in Mideel, before that is a blank," he explained.  
  
" For the moment this is trivial," Lucius stated, suddenly remembering why he had ventured from his mountain home and also trying to divert the attention from Rufus.  
  
" Lucius how many times have I told you that nothing is trivial," Zack scolded lightly.  
  
" When Aeris is kidnapped by Sephiroth and we all stand around talking about someone's past then yes, there is a sense of inconsequentiality," Lucius argued in a monotonous voice. Barret, having sat by while too many big words floated around him, exploded.  
  
" Why am I the only one who thinks that we're being controlled by some demented teenager with a thesaurus," he raged. Lucius gave him a look akin to a student listening to a lecture they had already heard numerous times.  
  
" I take after my mother in my choice of words," he offered, purposefully using smaller words than he normally would have. Zack suddenly realized what Lucius had said.  
  
" Aeris was kidnapped!" The outburst didn't raise a single muscle in Lucius but surprised many of the others.  
  
" That's what I said," Lucius confirmed too calmly for his uncle's liking. Zack all but leapt off his mount and tackled Lucius in his rage. At the last minute though he caught himself and stayed on his bird.  
  
" And where were you when this happened," he glared, knowing that Lucius would not treat an attack at the moment as he did in their sparring matches.  
  
" For one thing, I was recovering from my first fight with Sephiroth, for another I'm only six years old and not big enough to repel a sneak attack from Sephiroth," Lucius stated with the same calm he had used earlier.  
  
" You are the finest swordsman I know, and I am inclined to state that you could have easily dispatched Sephiroth even if he did jump you," Zack argued. Lucius seemed to have an endless supply of parries, verbal and physical.  
  
" When I'm at full health and Sephiroth stays for the fight," he snorted. He mimicked a gesture common to his mother, pushing a breath out through his nose at a quick speed and closing the back of his throat, resulting in a short but profound snort-like sound; his head snapped down slightly as he did this but moved back up so fast that his companions had to blink several times to make sure their eyes were working properly. Zack seemed to run out of arguments to make, either that or he had finally realized that even if he could think of a good one, Lucius would only counter it with his usual stoic nature.  
  
" If you've got your steam out could you possibly tell me when we'll be leaving for Mideel," Lucius asked impassively. Rufus smiled and shook his head, knowing it was futile to try and discern the motivation to Lucius's abnormally nonchalant nature.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Shivra and Osiris charged out of the water. The chocobo stopped briefly to shake out his feathers before they continued away from the beach into the grasslands. Toward Midgar. Toward Lucius. Though the latter was unknown to her.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
AN : I seem to cut off a lot. I wonder if it's in my author genes to do that. well anyway I guess that's all for now. As always, feel free to flame. I'll really deserv it in the later chapters. Hehehe... 


End file.
